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LIBRARY 


OF  THE 


MASSACHUSETTS 

AGRICULTURAL 

COLLEGE 


SOURC 


DATE 


l-ASBh. 


SF 

487 

C662 


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only,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine 
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It  will  be  due  on  the  day  in- 
dicated below. 


CARo 


V  I; 


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HOW   TO   HAKE 

$500 

Yearly  Profit  Y/itli  12  Hens. 

"NEW    PROCESS." 

INVENTOR  AND  PATENTEE, 

^5    Diplomas  and   Medals  have    been    awarded. 

NEW  EDITION,  ENLARGED  AND  IMPROVED. 


P*rice,    50    cents. 


BRENTANO     BROTHERS. 

Chicago,  NEW    YORK,  Washington. 


C7? 


Entered  according  tu  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876,  bf 

Pbof.  a.  Cobbktt, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congresss,  at  Washington.  D.  O. 


TROWS 

PRINTING  AND   BOOKBINDING  COMPANY, 

NEW  YORK. 


TO    THE    READER. 

The  extraordinary  rapidity  with  which  the  first  editions 
of  this  work  have  been  exhausted,  and  the  thousands  of 
letters  which  have  been  received  from  readers  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  are  proofs  that  the  public  have 
derived  substantial  profit  from  my  discovery. 

Among  these  readers  I  notice  with  much  pleasure, 
many  eminent  writers  for  the  press ;  men  who  have  de- 
voted their  talents  and  inteUigence  to  the  benefitting  of 
the  large  numbers  of  farmers  and  poultry  breeders,  whose 
toil  has  enhanced  the  national  prosperity ; — and  to  these 
particularly  do  I  dedicate  this  work. 

It  was  to  increase  the  resources  of  these  men  and 
their  famihes  by  poultry  raising,  that  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  years  ago,  the  celebrated  Eeaumur,  member 
of  the  Academy  of  Science?  of  Paris,  after  having  sacri- 
ficed his  time  and  fortune,  discovered  how  to  hatch  and 
raise  poultry  by  means  of  the  heat  generated  by  horse 
manure,  and  it  was  by  continuing  the  study  of  this  prob- 
lem, and  by  thorough,  patient  and  expensive  researches, 
that  I  have  been  enabled  to  teach  the  pubhc  how  to 
utihze  thf?:  new  process  in  all  its  workings,  Tvdth  perfect 
ease  and  success^  and  earned  for  me  the  numerous  awards 
of  various  kinds,  a  list  of  which  will  be  found  further  on. 

The  usefulness  of  this  work  has  been  universally 
acknowledged,  (see  Opinions  of  the  Press,)  and  its  great 
fundamental  principles  rest  on  the  following  important 
points :  1st,  How  to  avoid  loss  ?  2d,  How  to  increase 
productiveness?  These  any  intelligent  man  is  sure  to 
consider,  and  to  facilitate  the  means  for  both,  has  been 
my  aim  and  desire,  and  such  result  should  be  obtained 
by  all  who  read  this  book. 

The  Author. 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 


American  Agriculturist,  J^.  T". 

Of  late  years  there  have  been  many  efforts  made  to  perfect  a 
method  of  artificial  incubation  and  to  get  rid  of  the  hen,  which. 
"Unfortunately  is  too  fussy  and  too  slow  for  advanced  ideas.  Now 
that  poultry  bears  so  high  a  price,  and  young  chickens  for  broil- 
ers are  worth  more  than  full  grown  fowls,  it  is  very  desirable  to 
have  some  way  of  improving  on  the  slow  and  unsatisfactory 
methods  provided  by  nature.  The  most  promising  of  all  the 
methods,  old  or  new,  with  which  we  have  become  acquainted  is 
the  invention  of  Prof.  Corbett,  which  we  describe  and  illustrate. 
Prof.  Corbett  has  been  very  successful.  We  saw  the  proof  of  his 
success.  The  results  of  Mr.  Corbett's  investigations  and  experi- 
ences have  been  compiled  into  a  book. 

I^ew   York  Herald. 

It  is  a  practical  treatise  on  gallinoculture  and  a  description  of 
ehe  new  process  of  hatching  eggs  and  raising  chickens  by  means 
of  horse  manure,  the  invention  of  Prof.  Corbett,  for  which  several 
medals  were  awarded  him  by  all  the  great  exhibitions.  It  is  re- 
plete with  minute  explanations  which  cannot  fail  to  be  of  great 
service  to  farmers  and  breeders.  Poultry,  which  is  a  source  of 
gi-eat  revenue  in  Europe  generally,  and  in  France  particularly, 
has  not  received  in  America  all  the  attention  it  deserves,  and  it 
is  really  surprising  that  a  country  of  such  vast  resources  and  as 
rich  in  products  of  all  sorts  as  ours,  should  be  comjielled  to  im- 
port eggs  from  Europe.  We  see  on  page  32  of  this  book  that 
5,467,264  dozen  eggs,  valued  at  $732,234  have  been  imported 
from  Europe  in  the  space  of  eleven  months  and  thrown  upon  the 


11 

markets,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  by  the  time  they  arrived 
here  they  were  at  least  forty  days  old.  We  believe  that  Mr. 
Corbett's  invention  will  be  of  great  service  to  onr  business  men 
and  breeders  as  an  improvement  of  the  greatest  importance,  for 
the  consumption  of  eggs  in  this  country  is  calculated  to  be  about 
$60,000,000  annually.  In  France  it  is  about  $80,000,000  or 
$2.22  for  every  man,  woman  and  child. 

New    York   Tribune, 

riis  process  is  alike  valuable  to  the  housewife  of  moderate 
means,  passing  her  leisure  moments  in  the  poultry  yard,  as  to  the 
breeder  on  a  large  scale  who  seeks  to  supply  great  city  markets 
with  eggs  and  chickens. 

Philadelphia  Sunday  Sun. 

We  have  read  this  book  and  have  found  it  the  most  valuable 
and  the  most  interesting  work  for  poultry  men  and  farmers, 
which  has  ever  been  published. 

Southern  Agriculturist. 

This  is  a  very  interesting  and  useful  book  to  the  poultry 
breeder  and  housewife  in  the  rural  districts,  and  will  aid  the 
farmer  who  possesses  a  manure  heap  to  hatch  eggs  by  artificial 
heat  and  thus  hasten  to  the  spring  market  a  large  number  of 
chickens  when  the  price  is  good. 

Long   Island  Farmer. 

We  have  read  this  interesting  work  and  are  confident  noth- 
ing has  been  published  which  will  prove  so  important  to  the 
farming  interest.  It  explains  the  science  of  hatching  eggs  and 
the  raising  of  poultry  by  means  of  horse  manure,  for  which  a 
number  of  j)remiums  have  been  awarded  to  the  inventor.  Prof. 
A.  Corbett,  by  agricultural  societies  throughout  the  country. 


Our  Home  tTournal,  New    Orleans. 

This  book  contains  many  valuable  items  on  Poultry  not  given 
in  other  works,  and  the  valuable  plan  of  hatching  eggs  and  rais- 
ing poultry  has  made  Prof.  Corbett  famous  both  in  this  country 
and  France.  His  plan  is  so  simple  that  it  can  be  operated  by 
any  one  having  a  small  supply  of  horse  manure. 

Illustrated  Weekly,  J^.   Y. 

The  idea  of  using  the  heat  obtainable  from  manure  for  this  pur- 
pose is  not  new.  In  1747,  on  St.  Martin's  Day,  the  celebrated 
scientist,  Reaumur,  member  of  the  Poyal  Academy  of  Sciences, 
at  Paris,  wrote  to  that  Academy  a  paper  setting  forth  and  ex- 
plaining his  researches  and  success  in  giving  life  to  the  embry- 
onic fowl  by  the  heat  of  horse  manure  alone.  But  this  valuable 
discovery  has  reached  perfection  through  the  labors  and  researches 
of  Prof.  A.  Corbett.  The  discovery  will  undoubtedly  be  of  great 
benefit  to  all  who  breed  poultry  for  pleasure  or  profit. 

PhiladeJj^hia  J^ress. 

Mr.  A.  Corbett,  the  inventor  of  the  process  has  devoted  most 
of  his  life-time  to  the  study  of  animals,  and,  besides  being  a  fre- 
quent contributor  to  the  scientific  journals,  he  is  the  author  of 
several  works  on  ornithology.  During  the  last  severe  winter, 
with  the  snow  lying  several  feet  deep  on  the  ground,  he  was 
almost  overrun  with  young  chickens,  nearly  all  of  them  growing 
up  into  strong  and  healthy  birds,  notwithstandiug  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather. 

Chicago   Tribune. 

Chickens  hatched  and  raised  by  this  process  are  as  healtl)y  and 
vigorous  as  any  to  be  found ;  they  are  incomparably  more  numer- 
ous than  those  produced  by  what  is  ignorantly  termed  the 
"natural"  method.       Some  farmers,  however,  as  well  as  many 


professional  poultry  breeders,  possess  sucli  crow-bar  like  back- 
bones that  they  cannot  bend  to  any  proposed  improvement. 

Cincinnati   Times. 

Hatching  eggs  without  the  help  of  the  hen  is  the  easiest  matter 
possible,  and  in  no  sense  whatever  contrary  to  nature,  as  Prof. 
Corbett  ably  demonstrates.  Every  farmer  and  housewife  should 
read  this  work,  in  which  is  shown  that  it  needs  simply  a  manure 
heap  to  accomplish  this  result. 

Chicago    Inter-  Ocean. 

It  is  replete  with  minute  explanations  which  can  not  fail  to  be 
of  great  service  to  farmers  and  breeders. 

JBoston    Traveller. 

Should  be  in  the  hands  of  all  who  devote  time  and  attention 
to  the  raising  of  fowls.  It  contains  a  vast  amount  of  informa- 
tion. 

Country  Gentleman,  Albany/. 
The  only  feasible  method,  which  is  at  the  same  time  cheap. 
In  this  book  he  gives  an  account  of  the  different  methods  tried, 
from  the  time  of  the  worship  of  Isis  down  to  the  present. 
The  book,  devoted  to  poultry  matters  generally,  will  be  found 
useful  by  any  one  who  keeps  fowls. 

Jefferson  County  Agricultural  Society. 

The  best  treatise  we  have  seen  on  artificial  incubation  and  gen- 
eral care  of  poultry ;  should  be  in  the  hands  of  everyone  who 
raises  fowls. 


JXr  O  T3E3. 

PROFESSOR  A.  CORBETT, 

^ventor  of  the  new  process  for  Kaising   Poultry,  described 
in   the  work,  has   received 


Gold  and  Bronze  Medals 


AND 


DIPLOMAS 


FROM 


¥l\e  Cfer|teni|iM   I^xljibitiot), 
¥l\e  dtiili  Irttei'iiiitioiiiil  ^xf  o^itioi\, 


AND  FROM 


The    most    Important    States   and    County 

Agricultural  Societies  in  the 

United  States. 


CONTENTS 


Pag* 

Introduction 5 

The  Artificial  Incubation  of  the  Past  and  Piesent 7 

Kesearches  and  Success  with  Horse  Manure 15 

The  Value  of  the  Eggs 21 

The  Sort  of  Manure 28 

How  to  Use  It 29 

The  Best  Breed 31 

Diseased  Feet  in  Chickens 32 

Infectious  Water  for  Chickens 33 

Hens  Sitting  only  Six  Days 35 

How  to  See  whether  Eggs  are  Fertilized 36 

Twenty  Dollars  Profit  from  each  Hen 37 

Prof.  A.  Corbett's  Apparatus •..  38 

Advise  to  the  Ladies 40 

Amount  of  Profit  from  Twelve  Hens 42 

How  to  Establish  a  Poultry  Yard  with  $1,000 43 

Practical  Rules  for  Making  Money 45 

Care  of  Sitting  Hens 51 

Helping  Chickens  Out  of  the  Shell 52 

Cooked  Food  for  Poultry 53 

Keep  the  Chickens  Growing 54 

Hens  that  Eat  Eggs 55 

The  Number  of  Hens  to  a  Rooster 59 

Keeping  Eggs  for  Winter CO 

Fattening  and  Dressing  Poultry  for  Market 61 

Diseases  and  their  Cure ''4 

Cholera,  Crop,  Gapes,  Pip,  Rheumatism,  Indigestion, 
Cramps,  Lice,  Soft  Eggs,  Feather-Eating,  etc.,  eic. 
How  to  use  Kerosene  as  a  Good  Curative 1^5 


INTRODUCTION. 


"  There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,"  says  Solomon 
the  Wise,  so  that  artificial  incubations  is  also  not  a 
new  thing,  although  httle  practiced.  In  the  most 
ancient  times  the  Egyptians  knew  the  art  of  hatching 
eggs  without  placing  them  under  hens.  These  enlight- 
ened and  wise  people  who  had  found  every  means  to 
make  life  easy  and  pleasant  only  because  they  had 
sought  it  through  agriculture,  yet  possessed  several 
ideas  which  we  have  not  yet  discovered,  and  almost 
now  despair  to  find  out,  and  it  is  only  by  direct  obser- 
vation and  according  to  the  harmonious  laws  of  nature 
that  such  discoveries  are  made.  It  is  hardly  necessary 
to  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to  the  manner  in 
which  birds  set  on  their  eggs.  And  every  one  knows, 
also,  that  there  are  some  birds  (hens  for  instance)  which 
not  only  hatch  out  eggs  that  they  have  not  laid,  but 
even  those  also  of  other  species. 

These  pecuHarities  in  revealing  themselves  to  our 
notice  have  naturally  led  us  to  think  there  should  be, 
perhaps,  a  means  to  obtain  broods  independent  of  the 
hen,  since  her  intervention  has  been  already  shoTVTi  to 
be  insignificant,  and  without  any  regard  to  the  species. 
This  our  apparatus  does  accomplish.  I  was  convinced 
Al 


of  the  possibility  of  it  on  reflecting  that  even  the  sun 
could  take  the  place  of  the  bird — as  it  serves  in  some 
instances  to  hatch  out  eggs,  we  know.  Thus  the  croc- 
odile, turtle  and  the  ostrich  bury  their  eggs  in  the  sand, 
and  it  is  the  warmth  of  the  sun  that  hatches  the  young 
ones.  The  example  of  the  ostrich,  especially,  appears 
to  be  conclusive,  and,  therefore,  I  believe  that  if  the 
sun  could  hatch  out  the  eggs  of  the  ostrich  it  would 
not  be  impossible  to  have  a  like  success  with  other 
eggs  by  applying  artificial  heat. 

To-day.  the  Museum  of  Natural  History,  in  Paris, 
exhibits  to  the  view  of  amateurs  and  the  curious,  enor- 
mous serpents  born  in  hot-houses  by  the  artificial  incu- 
bation of  their  eggs. 

Nothing,  in  fact,  is  easier,  says  an  author  named  Par- 
mentier,  than  to  create  the  art  of  hatching  eggs  wii;h- 
out  the  aid  of  the  hen.  It  only  consists  in  imitating 
the  process  that  chance  has  indicated  to  man  and  sim- 
plifies itself  to  this,  to  choose  a  place  where  the  eggs 
can  receive  the  same  temperature  that  they  would  have 
under  the  bird  that  laid  the  eggs,  and  during  the  time 
that  would  be  required  to  hatch  them  under  her  wings, 


ARTIFICIAL  INCUBATION. 

Its  Origin  and  its  Antiquity. 

The  art  of  artificially  hatching  hens'  eggs  has  been 
known  in  Egypt  and  China  for  centuries.  In  Egypt 
the  invention  is  attributed  to  the  ancient  priests  of  Isis. 
According  to  some  historians,  Isis  and  Ceres  are  the 
same  benignant  princes  who  reigned  once  over  Egypt. 
According  to  others  the  art  of  agriculture  is  personi- 
fied under  these  names,  and  she  was  represented  with 
a  garland  of  ears  of  com  on  her  head,  holding  a  lighted 
torch  in  one  hand  and  in  the  other  a  poppy,  which  was 
sacred  to  her. 

The  priests  of  the  temple  of  Isis,  in  Egypt  as  well  as 
in  Celt,  appear  especially  to  have  been  employed  in  ag- 
riculture and  rural  economy.  The  importance  of  this 
seems  to  have  deserved  a  like  institution  since  they 
studied  this  great  science  and  extended  its  principles 
under  the  name  of  the  goddess  Ceres,  who  was  the  di- 
vine guardian  of  the  fields  and  every  kind  of  nature's 
produce. 

Whatever  it  was  it  seems  certain  that  the  prosperity 
of  the  ancient  kingdoms  of  Egypt,  Damascus,  Pales- 
tina,  Jerusalem  and  Samaria  was,  in  a  great  measure, 
due  to  the  benefits  they  derived  from  the  artificial 
hatching  of  hens'  eggs. 

The  ovens,  or  hatching  places  of  the  Egyptians, 
called  in  the  country  ma-mals,  and  which  were  very 
numerous  in  the  kingdoms  before  mentioned,  are  now 
only  in  existence  in  Mansoura,  in  the  village  of  Berma, 
situated  in  the  Delta  of  the  Nil.     The  latest  historians 


give  the  name  of  Behamians  to  all  the  inhabitants  of 
five  or  six  villages,  of  which  Berma  is  the  chief  and 
centre,  and  where  the  ovens  are  most  numerous.  The 
inhabitants  of  these  villages  are  the  only  ones  who  to- 
day have  preserved  the  hereditary  industry  of  directing 
these  ovens. 

On  research  I  find  that  the  ovens  of  Egypt  alone  in 
olden  times  hatched  out  annually  one  hundred  millions 
of  chickens;  even  to-day  the  ma-mals  of  the  Beha- 
mians  still  hatch  out  annually  thirty  millions,  but  his- 
tory is  silent  upon  the  kind  of  nourishment  given  to 
these  chickens.  But  one  will  say,  how  is  it  that  so 
flourishing  and  prosperous  a  business  has  for  the  most 
part  disappeared  from  these  countries,  and  is  only  found 
to-day  in  a  small  and  limited  province  of  the  Egyptian 
Delta  ?  I  cannot  account  for  it  any  more  than  that 
these  countries  have  become  barren  and  depopulated, 
which  once,  according  to  history,  were  fertile  and  inhab- 
ited, and  of  the  destruction  of  towns  and  cities  of 
which  the  ruins  still  exist  and  bear  witness  to  their 
ancient  splendor. 

To  the  Emperor  Constantino  is  attributed  a  memoir 
upon  the  artificial  incubation  of  the  Egyptian  ovens, 
so  much  did  he  consider  the  multiplication  of  every 
kind  of  poultry  to  the  weKare  of  the  nation. 

Another  memoir  on  the  same  subject  is  attributed  to 
Democrates,  the  ancient  philosopher  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  crying  with  joy  on  beholding  the  beauties  of 
nature  in  opposition  to  his  companion,  Herachtes,  who 
always  laughed  at  the  same. 

Plinus,  the  naturahst,  and  Diodorus,  of  Sicily,  speak 
in  their  writings  of  the  great  benefits  a  nation  would 
receive  from  this  method. 

The  history  of  the  Egyptian  ma-mals  and  the  Chi- 


9 

nese  boxes  (these  are  only  for  hatching  duck  eggs)  was 
brought  into  Europe  by  the  Pastor  Juan  Gonzales,  of 
Mencloce,  in  Spain,  and  translated  into  French  in  1600 
by  Luc  de  la  Porte. 

Before  Gonzales'  times  historians  had  spoken  of  the 
Egyptian  ovens,  and  amongst  them  Aristot,  but  these 
had  only  written  from  traditions,  whilst  at  Florence 
and  at  Naples  they  have  already  built  these  ovens  or 
kilns. 

In  the  year  1415  Charles  YII  built  some  k  Amboise 
in  France,  and  Francis  L,  at  Montrichard  about  the 
year  1540.  These  undertakings  probably  met  with  but 
Httle  success,  because  these  ovens  were  built  according 
to  hearsay  or  tradition.  One  of  the  Florentine  dukes 
sent  for  an  Egyptian  director,  and  they  say  that  this 
man  succeeded  well.  Francis  I  also  followed  the  same 
plan  and  met  with  a  like  success  ;  but,  notwithstanding 
this,  it  was  abandoned  later.  A  physician  of  Nanterre, 
named  Bonnemain,  is  the  first  since  1777  to  establish 
hatching  ovens,  which  communicated  their  heat  to  the 
eggs  by  means  of  the  circulation  in  tubes  of  hot  water. 
Bonnemain  tried  every  expedient,  and,  after  several 
unsuccessful  attempts,  started  an  estabKshment  at  No. 
4  Rue  des  Deux  Port^s,  in  Paris,  and  where  he  had 
these  ovens  sufficiently  large,  that  he  hatched  out  one 
thousand  a  day.  He  is  often  accused  of  exaggeration, 
but  nevertheless  history  records  the  fact  that  he  had 
chickens  all  the  year  round,  and  that  he  supphed  the 
Imperial  Court  of  France  in  all  seasons,  and  that  the 
pubHc  markets  were  overstocked  with  his  birds.  The 
disastrous  events  of  1814  were  the  ruin  of  this  fine  es- 
tabKshment. Bonnemain  pubhshed  a  pamphlet  in 
1816  giving  a  description  of  his  ovens  regulated  by 


10 

fire,  and  he  said  his  method  was  the  result  of  fifty 
years'  deep  meditation  and  trials. 

In  this  pamphlet  he  does  not  give  the  key  of  his 
method,  but  asks  for  subscriptions  to  buy  his  ovens, 
and  to  induce  amateurs  to  try  it,  he  gives  statistics  of 
the  profit  each  hatching  gave  every  year. 

Bonnemaiji,  moreover,  assures  us  that  he  did  obtain 
this  success  during  fifteen  years,  and  it  was  only  after 
his  establishment  wag  ruined  by  the  invading  armies 
that  he  asks  for  aid  and  assistance  from  the  govern- 
ment, capitalists,  and  amateurs  ;  but  all  failed  him, 
either  from  disdain,  want  of  confidence,  or  from  pohti- 
cal  motives. 

The  price  of  his  boxes  was  very  high,  the  small  ones 
costing  $2  00  an  egg,  and  large  ones  75  cents.  His  fire 
regulator  was  cionsidered  a  very  useful  invention. 

Martial  Bonnes,  mathematical  professor  and  astron- 
omer in  the  observatoiy  at  Toulouse,  wanted  the  gov- 
ernment to  send  a  commission  to  Egypt  to  introduce 
the  art  of  making  these  ovens  or  machines  for  hatching 
chickens,  and  to  bring  back  at  the  same  time  expe- 
rienced Behamians  to  manage  these  ovens,  etc. 

Another  author,  under  the  same  administration  of 
the  Haut  Khin,  I  find  has  published  also  a  book  ex- 
plaining to  the  government  the  great  importance  of 
this  importation  to  France.  He  says:  "I  would  like 
to  see  these  men  and  their  machines  enter  France  and 
estabHsh  themselves  in  the  palaces  of  our  king ;"  and 
then  he  adds  :  "The  enemiejs  of  this  enterprise  will  at 
first  scoff  at  and  ridicule  the  project  of  hatching  chick- 
ens artificially,  and  wdli  have  a  thousand  stories  to  tell 
of  these  hens'  eggs,  the  quality  of  their  flesh,  etc. ;  but 
all  these  pleasantries  ought  not  to  discourage  the  un- 
dertaking, and  they  will  pass  away  as  smoke." 


11 

I  can  only  join  my  good  wishes  to  the  hopes  of  these 
men — true  friends  to  the  prosperity  of  their  country 
and  to  the  weKare  of  every  one,  which  would  result  in 
the  multiplication  of  poultry  yards. 

I  will  now  relate  the  attempts  that  have  been  made 
of  this  kind  by  my  contemporaries,  and  the  success 
they  have  met  with. 

In  1844,  Mr.  Bir,  a  merchant  of  Courbevoie,  near 
Paris,  sent  to  the  exhibition  of  that  year,  a  box  for 
hatching,  containing  60  eggs. 

In  1848  Mr.  Yallie,  keeper  of  the  serpent  gallery  at 
the  museum  of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  at  Paris,  sent 
also  to  the  exhibition  of  that  year,  an  incubator  to 
hatch  out  100  eggs. 

These  two  boxes,  made  after  Bonnemain's  model,  but 
much  smaller,  were  heated  with  lamps.  Mr.  Yallie 
even  admitted  that  his  box  was  not  fit  to  be  used  on  a 
large  scale,  but  only  as  a  piece  of  furniture  for  ama- 
teurs and  the  curious.  About  the  same  time,  however, 
appeared  the  great  incubator  of  Messrs.  Adrien,  Jr., 
&  Tricoche,  who  founded  an  estabhshment  at  Yau- 
girard.  In  1853  Mr.  Cantallo  established  an  institu- 
tion of  numerous  incubators,  and,  according  to  the 
Enghsh  papers,  these  are  all  heated  with  lamps,  and 
he  sends  a  large  quantity  of  poultry  to  the  London 
market  annually. 

Dr.  Preterre,  dentist,  of  New  York,  has  also  devoted 
much  of  his  time  to  artificial  incubation ;  I  have  seen 
and  met  him  at  the  Farmers'  Club  at  the  Cooper  Insti- 
tute, New  York ;  and  in  March,  1874,  he  exhibited 
several  chickens  which  were  hatched  artificially  by 
steam  and  also  by  means  of  horse  manure. 

A  gi^eat  many  certificates  have  been  presented. 
There  are  also  several  patented  incubators  in  the  Uni' 


12 

fced  States.  Some  have  the  lamp  on  the  top,  others 
have  it  on  the  sides ;  all  have  more  or  less  pipes  hold- 
ing mercury  or  alcohol. 

I  believe  I  have  now  exhausted  all  my  information 
about  recent  incubators,  and  have  posted  my  readers 
in  all  that  has  been  done  in  this  line,  and  he  can  now 
form  some  idea  of  the  different  experiences  that  have 
been  made  to  arrive  at  a  practical  and  paying  machine, 
for  it  is  not  enough  to  hatch  eggs,  but  it  must  be  done 
with  profit ;  for  if,  to  obtain  a  few  chickens,  you  must 
spend  more  than  they  are  worth,  or  more  than  they 
will  sell  for,  the  thing  is  a  failure ;  and  I  have  never 
heard  that  any  great  success  has  been  attained  by 
machines  heated  by  lamps.  One  can  easily  understand 
that  those  persons  who  wish  to  engage  in  the  raising  of 
poultry,  are  much  embarrassed,  and  hesitate  before 
risking  their  money  in  an  enterprise  in  which  the  best 
means  to  carry  it  out  are  still  being  looked  for.  Thus 
does  it  happen  that,  after  due  reflection  and  deep  study, 
I  have  decided  to  found  my  establishment ,  and,  before 
investing  $40,000  in  a  poultry  establishment,  I  certainly 
ought  to  thoroughly  understand  what  I  am  undertak- 
ing, and  even  better  than  any  other.  I  ought  to  be 
most  interested  in  finding  the  most  advantageous  man- 
ner of  applying  artificial  incubation.  My  first  plan 
was  to  follow  the  natural  raising  of  hens,  etc.,  for,  like 
many  others,  I  had  only  a  weak  reliance  on  the  present 
machines,  for  I  have  seen  them  in  operation  both  in 
Paris  and  London ;  but  both  proprietors  told  me  that 
they  did  not  believe  it  would  be  practicable  on  a  large 
scale  ;  for  an  estabHshment  that  would  contain  60  arti- 
ficial hatching  boxes  in  operation  ought  to  have  120 
lamps  burning  night  and  day  with  kerosene ;  and  there 
was  great  danger,  to  say  nothing  of  the  difficulty   of 


13 

directing  to  an  equal  height  such  a  number  of  wicks  to 
give  to  each  incubator  an  equal  warmth.  And  how 
much  money  would  it  not  cost  daily  for  kerosene  ? 

These  considerations,  added  to  those  of  the  neces- 
sary expense  required  to  buy  these  machines,  were  a 
very  serious  objection  to  me,  and  I  was  forced  to  reject 
this  system,  without  condemning  it,  however.  I  bought 
several  machines  to  try  them  ;  those  that  gave  me  the 
greatest  returns  were  kept  in  operation  for  a  time ;  but 
from  one  only  a  small  percentage,  and  from  another  I 
never  could  obtain  a  single  hatching,  and  thus  it  was 
that  I  did  not  spend  much  time  with  such  expensive 
toys,  and,  at  the  same  time,  with  such  Httle  profit.  I 
still  continued  to  look  for  some  other  way  of  arriving  at 
the  desired  end,  and  to  see  if  it  was  not  possible  to  ob- 
tain practical  and  commercial  results,  for,  if  it  was  once 
found,  I  had  before  me  an  important  affair ;  with  my 
organization  I  could  take  care  of  any  quantity  of  chick- 
ens that  I  could  hatch.  I  then  bought  every  book  that 
treated  of  incubation,  and  you  can  judge  my  surprise 
when  I  found  that  each  author  recommended  particu- 
larly a  different  machine.  It  was  not  long  before  I 
discovered  that  these  recommendations  were  only  com- 
plimentary, for  I  had  already  one  of  the  machines  thus 
strongly  recommended  by  one  author,  and  from  which 
it  was  impossible  to  obtain  the  birth  or  hatching  of  a 
single  chicken.  But  what  struck  me  most  was  that 
only  a  few  of  them  spoke  of  Keaumur's  system, 
amongst  which  is  Burnham,  who  mentions  in  his  work, 
at  page  124,  that  Mr.  Manowry,  at  Mouy,  had  adopted 
Beaumur's  system. 

However,  not  being  able  to  let  him  pass  without 
mention,  the  greater  number  ingenuously  say  that  he 
did  obtain  some  success,  but  they  take  good  care  not  to 

2 


14 

give  any  explanation  ;  this  is  easily  understood,  as  they 
would  have  injured  their  favorite.  Our  astonishment 
changes  into  indignation  when  we  read  that  these 
authors,  who  were  so  reserved  about  the  celebrated 
Reaumur,  were  lavish  in  their  praises  of  the  sellers  of 
the  boxes  without  value  (the  rotten  work  of  some  tin- 
smith), who,  perhaps,  had  money  enough  to  buy  the 
good  will  of  the  writer. 

Mr.  Reaumur  was  a  clever  French  naturalist  and 
author  of  several  works,  memoirs  of  great  value,  and 
several  of  his  treatises  are  well  known,  and  the  best 
that  were  written  before  Buffon's  time  ;  and,  in  con- 
sequence of  these  works,  was  made  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris,  where  he  read 
his  first  paper  on  St.  Martin's  Day,  1747,  when  the  pub- 
lic of  that  time  seemed  to  have  judged  as  he  had  douQ 
of  the  great  advantages  to  be  expected  of  making  & 
business  of  chicken  raising ;  and  he  further  stated,  125 
years  ago,  that  the  multiplying  of  poultry  yards,  of 
which  such  a  large  number  are  consumed,  could  not  be 
overdone. 

The  Abbe  Copineau  undertook  to  perfect  Reau- 
mur's method;  in  1780  he  pubhshed  a  work  called 
"Artificial  Ornithotrophie ;  or,  The  Art  of  Hatching 
and  Raising  Poultry  by  means  of  Artificial  Heat."  The 
USime  work  was  re-published  in  1795,  under  the  title  of 
*'  Man  Rival  to  Nature ;  or.  The  Art  of  giving  Exist- 
ence to  Birds,  and  principally  of  Poultry.'*  In  1816 
the  learned  Bonnemain  also  published  a  very  instruc- 
tive memoir,  and  of  real  value.  So  that  at  last  we  find 
a  number  of  eminent  men  occupying  themselves  with 
this  important  question. 


15 

Researches  and  Success. 

Tlie  public  will  now  understand  from  what  sources  I 
have  sought  to  learn ;  and  after  all  the  expeiiments  I 
have  made,  I  concluded,  at  last,  that  Eeaumur's  system 
appeared  to  be  most  feasible — it  being  the  easiest  and 
less  expensive  to  follow.  I,  therefore,  from  that  time 
began  to  practice  it,  thus :  six  casks  were  placed  in  a 
heap  of  manure,  and  600  eggs  were  placed  in  them. 
All  were  lost.  It  was  in  winter,  and  I  thought  that  in 
the  cellar  the  casks  would  keep  at  a  better  degree  of 
heat ;  but  there  not  being  room  enough,  and  the  want 
of  ventilation,  were  the  causes  of  my  faihng.  Not  in 
the  least  discouraged,  although  disappointed,  I  again 
placed  eight  casks  under  an  old  shed,  and  this  time  put 
800  eggs  in  them ;  the  success  would  have  been  entire 
had  not  the  rain  fallen  one  day  on  part  of  the  manure 
heap,  which  cooled  it  off.  Nevertheless,  fi'om  the  other 
part  I  proved  the  success,  and  you  can  judge  how  de- 
lighted I  was  to  see  several  hundred  young  chickens 
hatched. 

Let  the  reader  rightly  understand  that  we  did  not 
have  entire  confidence  in  the  success  to  be  derived  from 
this  venture  at  the  time,  as  it  was  necessary  to  find  a 
place  to  put  the  newly-hatched  chickens  in,  which  ap- 
peared to  us  like  a  true  army  of  invaders.  Those 
persons  who  have  never  seen  hundreds  of  young 
chickens  of  one  and  two  days  old,  can  form  no  idea  ot 
the  busy  and  noisy  household.  Luckily,  we  had  an  ar- 
tificial mother,  warmed  by  one  lamp,  and  I  placed  the 
young  chickens  in  it ;  whether  it  was  the  smell  of  the 
kerosene  that  was  injurious  to  them,  or  whether  the 
heat  produced  by  the  hot  water  did  not  accomplish  the 
wished  for  object,  I  lost  the  greater  number  of  them. 


16 

and  I  had  the  misfortune  to  prove  that  it  was  especially 
from  crowding  themselves  in  the  corners  that  they  did. 
This  was  a  bitter  disappointment  to  me.  As  there  wag 
now  no  doubt  that  I  could  hatch  the  eggs  with  the  aid 
of  manure,  it  only  remained  to  improve  on  the  casks 
and  mothers,  and  the  manner  of  directing  or  regulating 
the  heat,  besides  providing  the  proper  and  necessary 
ventilation,  and  to  supply  the  necessary  quantity  of 
air.  I  first  of  all  began  my  improvements  on  the 
artificial  mother,  in  suppressing  the  corners  as  much 
as  possible,  and  at  last  had  one  built  without  cor- 
ners, measuring  twelve  feet  in  length  and  ten  feet  in 
width,  and  warmed  by  two  kerosene  stoves.  I  thought 
myself  very  happy  in  having  such  a  large  artificial 
mother  in  which  I  could  place  1,800  chickens  of  differ- 
ent ages.  Everything  was  complete  in  it,  park,  perches 
and  ventilation.  Unfortunately,  one  night  in  April  one 
of  the  lamps  exploded  and  set  the  building  on  fire  in 
which  it  was  (which  measured  200  feet  in  length,  and 
cost  $6,000).  The  dog  gave  the  alarm,  and  soon  every 
one  on  the  farm  was  awakened,  and  commenced  to 
extinguish  the  fire  by  means  of  the  India  rubber  hose 
kept  on  the  premises  for  such  a  calamity,  and  with  a 
plentiful  supply  of  water  the  building  was  saved  by  a 
miracle,  but  I  was  not  so  fortunate  with  my  young 
brood — ^nearly  all  of  them  were  smothered  or  suffocated. 
Again  was  I  forced  to  resign  myself  to  fate  and  give  up 
the  raising  of  my  pullets  artificially  by  means  of  lamps. 
The  insurance  company  paid  the  damage  to  the  build* 
ing,  but  the  poultry  was  not  insured. 

Having  got  over  this  loss  I  jDuzzled  my  brains  to  find 
a  new  system  of  raising  them,  and  began  to  think  I 
should  have  to  renounce  it,  when  the  happy  thought 
struck  me  to  try  the  manure  heap,  and  to  see  if  I  could 


17 

not  make  it  do  for  the  cliickens  what  it  did  so  well  for 
the  eggs.  I  then  placed  a  common  box  in  the  manure 
and  put  in  it  some  newly -hatched  chicks ;  this  was 
rather  a  bold  proceeding,  for  the  chances  were  that  I 
should  only  find  dead  ones  in  the  morning.  Judge  my 
surprise  when  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  opened 
the  box  and  saw  all  these  little  ones  with  their  large 
eyes  open,  waiting  their  first  meal,  and  they  were 
quickly  fed. 

This,  then,  was  the  solution  of  the  great  problem. 
Was  it  chance  or  luck  ?  Nevertheless  I  had  before  me 
the  fact  that  there  were  animated  beings  born  in  manure 
and  receiving  the  warmth  necessary  for  their  welfare 
from  the  same  source.  Having  already  received  so 
many  checks  and  deceptions,  I  hesitated  and  refrained 
from  shouting  "Victory  !" — Eureka  it  might  be. 

A  few  more  days  will  show  me  what  success  I  might 
depend  on  in  using  this  means  of  raising  them,  and  all 
those  that  were  daily  hatched  received  the  same  treat- 
ment. At  length,  after  fifteen  days'  experience  I  had 
only  to  fight  with  the  corners  of  the  box.  For  those 
who  have  the  opportunity  of  visiting  an  estabhshment 
for  rearing  young  chickens,  know  full  well  how  they 
will  crowd  into  the  corners ;  the  stronger  ones  mount 
on  the  backs  of  the  weaker,  and  these  are,  almost  in  all 
cases,  victims  to  their  companions. 

I  now  began  to  look  for  a  box  that  would,  in  a  cer- 
tain degree  resemble  the  hen.  Everybody  knows  that 
if  she  gives  warmth  to  the  chickens  it  is  by  covering 
them  with  her  wings ;  but  again,  if  an  account  was 
taken  of  the  number  she  crushes  by  treading  on  them, 
of  those  she  loses  in  walking  round  with  them,  you  can 
easily  see  that  the  raiser  pays  dearly  for  the  heat  she 
gives.     I  will  admit  there  are  some  mothers  patterns  ol 

2b 


18 

gentleness,  tenderness  and  carefulness,  and  quite  wor- 
thy of  the  praise  and  admiration  bestowed  on  them, 
and  will  allow  several  authors  to  say  all  they  can  in 
their  favor  ;  but  if  they  were  like  myself,  daily  watch- 
ing them  and  convinced  of  the  reahty,  they  would  soon 
see  how  very  many  in  general,  destroy  their  young;  it 
is  by  millions  yearly  that  they  could  be  counted.  Up 
to  the  present  time  very  few  have  troubled  themselves 
about  this  great  question,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
this  enormous  loss  being  shared  by  all,  it  has  not 
awakened  the  attention  of  the  great  poultry  raisers. 
One  of  my  neighbors  who  raises  a  great  quantity  of 
poultry,  especially  turkeys,  lost  in  one  day  sixty-four 
chicks,  their  careful  mothers  having  taken  them  off  to 
a  distance,  when  the  rain  came  and  they  were  lost. 
This  man,  a  clever  farmer,  suffering  so  great  a  loss,  has 
he  ever  thought  he  might  avoid  it  ?  I  don't  believe  he 
has. 

In  order  that  my  apparatus  should  be  good,  I  kept 
strict  account  of  the  heat  given  to  the  chickens  by  the 
mother,  the  movement  of  the  wings  and  especially  of 
the  amount  of  air  that  penetrated  under  her.  After 
several  days'  labor  and  combinations  I  succeeded  in 
obtaining  all  these  results,  and  I  found  I  had  replaced 
the  hen  with  great  advantage,  for  really  my  apparatus 
is  much  superior  to  the  hen.  The  stomach  and  the 
wings  are,  by  a  clever  combination,  beautifully  imitated. 
Especially  do  chickens  find  this  to  be  the  case  whilst 
growing  up  as  well  as  when  they  are  small.  This 
apparatus  having  so  admirably  succeeded  in  raising 
chickens,  why  could  it  not  serve  also  to  hatch  them  ? 
To  this  important  question  I  could  not  immediately 
reply;  so  I  began  another  experiment,  and  the  first 
trial  failed,  and  upon  my  making  further  researches  I 


19 

discovered  tliat  wliat  prevented  the  success  of  the  incu- 
bation was  simply  in  the  quality  of  the  wood  of  which 
the  boxes  were  made.  I  then  made  another  apparatus 
and  new  experiments,  and  at  last  succeeded. 

From  this  day  I  found  I  had  solved  an  important 
problem,  and  that  I  could  hatch  and  raise  chickens 
without  the  assistance  of  any  lamp,  nor  with  any  fire, 
and  that  manure  alone  would  do  it.  Ali !  if  Eeaumur 
could  rise  from  his  ashes  how  happy  would  he  be  to  see 
these  facts  established,  and  I  would  wish  to  see  present 
near  the  hatching  broods  those  authors  who  have  so 
little  gratitude  for  this  renowned  man  of  the  past 
century. 

"Every  pen  that  is  employed  in  the  praise  of  any 
subject  or  industry  does  honor  to  the  author  who  rend- 
ers justice  to  the  merits  of  others,  more  especially  when 
it  alludes  only  to  their  memory." 

The  Patent  Right. 

Possessing  my  apparatus,  my  first  business  was  to 
ask  of  the  American  and  European  Governments  the 
protection  that  the  law  gives  to  inventors,  etc.  In 
granting  me  a  patent  every  one  who  has  seen  my  appar- 
atus has  immediately  recognized  its  importance,  and 
the  benefit  each  might  derive  xrom  it. 

I  have  been  advised  to  sell  my  patent  to  a  company 
so  that  I  might  at  once  reahze  a  large  fortune,  but  I 
prefer  to  remain  the  sole  owner,  fearing  that  once  the 
apparatus  is  spread  over  the  country  our  poultry  and 
eggs  would  decrease  in  value  in  consequence  of  there 
being  too  large  a  quantity  of  poultry  thrown  on  the 
market.  Several  of  my  friends  have  tried  to  dissuade 
me  from  this,  and  a  gentleman  of  some  celebrity  and 
and  of  great  talent  made  use  of  these  words :     "  If  I 


20 

had  discovered  this  ingenious  idea  I  would  esteem  my- 
seK  happy  to  leave  it  to  my  contemporaries  as  a 
souvenir  of  my  passage  on  this  earth."  I  replied,  if 
your  name  was  not  already  surroundec'  with  glory  I 
would  propose  that  you  add  yours  to  mine.  You  have 
witnessed  my  trials,  disappointments  and  hopes,  and 
have  not  only  consoled  me  at  times  but  encouraged  me 
to  try  again,  and  this  share  is  only  your  right.  He  re- 
fused this  offer  and  said  if  I  would  sell  my  apparatus 
he  would  buy  one.  Two  days  after  I  sent  him  one, 
begging  him  to  accept  it,  being  the  only  one  that  has 
left  the  Gallinoculture  Institute,  and  instead  of  sending 
it  to  his  country  seat  he  has  it  for  exhibition,  and 
takes  great  pleasure  in  showing  it  to  his  friends.  I 
will  not  divulge  his  name — not  wishing  to  follow  in  the 
steps  of  a  great  number  of  venders  who  fill  their  pros- 
pectuses with  honorable  names  it  is  true,  but  who, 
having  no  interest  in  the  affair,  and  far  from  being 
satisfied  with  the  merchandise  sent  them,  perhaps  are 
only  to  be  pitied  in  having  just  cause  of  complaint.  A 
good  thing  recommends  itself,  and  there  is  no  occasion 
to  use  any  humbug  to  make  it  sell,  and  I  wish  it  par- 
ticularly understood  that  I  desire  the  welfare  of  my 
friends  and  neighbors,  the  farmers  of  these  United 
States,  and  work  as  willingly  for  their  benefit  as  my 
profit,  and  any  reasonable  person  can  clearly  see  that 
the  profits  I  derive  from  this  book  will  never  begin  to 
pay  me  for  my  time,  money  or  labor  bestowed  on  this 
patent,  but  expect  a  great  deal  from  the  interest  the 
public  will  take  in  a  business  so  simple  and  so  inter- 
esting, and  offering  such  good  returns  for  the  time  and 
attention  bestowed  upon  it,  and  especially  when  a 
thing  is  really  good  the  inventor  generally  begins  to 
turn  it  to  his  own  profit.     But  su3h  is  not  my  present 


21 

desire.  Wliat  I  have  done  at  my  establisliment  with  a 
great  many  of  these  apparatuses  is  to  hatch  and  raise 
poultry  of  every  kind — chickens,  turkeys,  ducks  and 
Guinea  fowls,  and  one  reason  why  I  have  not  dehvered 
the  machines  to  the  public  sooner,  is  that,  as  I  before 
stated,  I  would  not  flood  the  market,  and  to  a  certain 
extent,  put  an  end  to  the  demand  for  poultry  and 
eggs ;  but  now,  from  the  reports  and  statistics  received 
on  this  subject,  I  happily  find  myself  deceived,  and 
find  that,  notwithstanding  the  quantity  raised,  buyers 
at  a  fair  price  will  always  be  found. 

The  Value  of  the  Eggs. 

In  a  work  on  poultry  I  find  that  in  New  York  and 
Boston  alone  were  sold  $6,000,000  worth  of  poultry, 
which  exceeds  the  commercial  value  of  all  the  swine 
and  half  the  value  of  all  the  sheep,  the  entire  value  of 
the  neat  cattle,  and  over  four  times  the  total  value  of 
the  horses  and  mules.  One  large  hotel  in  Boston  uses 
an  average  of  one  hundred  dozen  of  eggs  daily,  and 
another  in  Philadelphia  consumes  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dozen  daily.  The  New  York  Evening  Post  subse- 
quently set  down  the  value  of  eggs  and  poultry  at  the 
enormous  sum  of  $265,000,000. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  that  from  such  an  enormous 
business  there  must  be  a  great  profit  to  those  who 
busy  themselves  in  the  poultry  business,  and  if  it  were 
possible  for  me  to  get  at  the  daily  sales,  and  of  which 
no  account  is  taken,  I  am  sure  we  should  arrive  at 
wonderful  and  fabulous  figures  ;  but  although  these 
United  States  are  so  rich  in  grain,  mineral,  lumber, 
and  the  different  commercial  productions,  the  first 
among  which  may  be  placed  the  raising  of  cattle,  etc., 
yet  they  are  obliged  to  send  to  Europe  for  a  part  of  the 


22 

necessary  quantity  of  eggs  to  meet  the  demand,  a  thing 
almost  impossible  to  believe,  yet  it  is  unfortunately  but 
too  true,  and  I  could  hardly  believe  it,  until  I  had  re- 
ceived it  from  the  Hon.  Ed.  Youngs,  Chief  of  the 
Bureau  of  the  Government  Statistics  at  Washington — 
several  reports,  which,  unfortunately,  are  too  sparsely 
scattered  through  the  States — and  one  of  these  reports 
shows  me  that  there  was  imported  into  the  United 
States  during  a  period  of  eleven  months  in  1872, 
5,025,958  dozens  of  eggs,  being  worth  $688,796,  and 
during  the  same  time  in  1873,  5,467,264  dozens,  and 
worth  1732,234.  This  increase  is  again  repeated  in 
previous  years,  not  necessary  to  enumerate,  for  it  would 
make  these  statistics  wearisome. 

So  it  can  be  easily  seen  that  there  is  no  danger  of 
overstocking  the  markets,  and  I  firmly  believe  that  the 
consumers  would  rather  have  their  eggs  fresh  than 
coming  from  Europe,  as  the  voyage  would  not  improve 
their  flavor.  After  having  read  these  figures,  one  can 
fancy  the  astonishment  of  my  friends,  the  readers,  that 
so  lucrative  a  business  is  not  more  generally  followed 
and  better  managed.  Why  poultry  does  not  take  its 
place  among  other  industries  and  occupy  that  rank 
which  it  ought  to  among  commercial  affairs  is,  that  the 
thing  is  too  simple  ;  and  if  I  was  to  tell  a  father  with 
two  sons  to  teach  them  a  trade  of  some  sort,  he  would 
very  likely  reply  they  may  be  doctors  or  lawyers,  and 
if  I  was  to  ask  him  the  question:  "Have  you  any 
fortune  ?  or,  have  your  sons  any  disposition  for  those 
professions  ?  he  would  reply  :  "  Not  much  ;  and  I 
don't  know  if  they  are  so  inclined;"  and  suppose  I 
hazarded  the  advice :  "  Have  them  taught  the  art  of 
raising  poultry,"  I  should  make  that  man  my  enemy, 
and  he  might  ask  me  if  I  took  him  for  a  madman. 


23 

Don't  get  angry,  my  friend,  I  might  justly  say,  for  it  is 
not  every  one  who  can  raise  poultry  with  profit.  Gen- 
erally every  farmer  raises  some  poultry,  and  his  wife 
and  children  attend  to  this  little  affair ;  he  must  go  to 
the  field  and  tend  his  corn,  etc. ;  talk  to  him  of  these 
crops,  it  is  all  right ;  he  may  have  a  large  barn  to  hold 
his  crops,  while  he  will  have  some  old  shed,  dirty,  etc., 
for  his  poultry,  and  they  must  hunt  for  their  living,  or 
at  best,  are  only  fed  once  a  day.  If  you  should  visit 
any  of  the  farmers,  how  seldom  do  you  see  a  pail  of 
water  for  the  fowls  ?  No  ;  the  thing  is  very  rare,  and 
seldom  the  owner  will  spend  a  cent  to  build  a  fowl 
house ;  he  would  sooner  put  his  money  in  the  bank. 
Some  will  invest  in  railroad  bonds  that  traverse  the 
wilds  of  this  vast  country,  and  are  fifty  years  before 
they  pay  any  interest.  Is  it  not  so  ?  While  on  the 
other  hand  his  poultry  might  bring  him  in  two  hun- 
dred per  cent. 

Poultry  has  always  been  a  source  of  revenue  to  the 
French  people,  as  the  following  figures  will  prove  :  In 
France  there  are  about  40,000,000  hens  valued  at 
$20,000,000.  One-fifth  are  marketed  yearly  for  the 
table,  bringing  about  $4,000,000 ;  the  annual  production 
of  chickens,  80,000,000,  worth  in  the  city  markets 
$24,000,000,  and  $2,000,000  are  added  for  the  extra 
value  of  capons  and  fatted  hens.  The  production  of 
eggs  is  estimated  at  40,000,000,  making  the  total  value 
of  eggs,  chickens,  capons  and  hens  annually  sold,  about 
$80,000,000,  or  $2  22  to  every  man,  woman  and  child 
in  France.  The  power  to  make  much  out  of  little,  and 
to  live  frugally  on  small  means  and  with  limited  re- 
sources to  fall  back  upon,  is  the  distinguishing  trait  of 
the  French  people  and  one  well  worth  emulating.  The 
eggs  imported  from  France  to  England  in  1874  repra- 


24 

sented    a    value  of    $1,200,000,    and    from    Belgiunj 
$300,000. 

The  'New  York  Herald  was  the  first  newspaper  that 
published  the  particulars  of  my  discovery,  I  was  over- 
whelmed with  letters  and  visitors.  Several  Agricul- 
tural Societies  invited  me  to  their  fairs,  and  accordingly 
I  attended  Queens  County,  Suffolk  County,  Saratoga, 
Albany,  American  Institute,  and  New  York  State  fair 
at  Rochester,  where  the  crowd  of  people  appeared  as- 
tonished and  very  much  interested.  At  each  of  these 
exhibitions  I  had  six  apparatuses  in  operation,  conse- 
quently I  received  a  great  many  compliments  on  both 
my  Incubator  and  the  Mother,  and  I  was  also  asked  to 
give  lectures  on  my  system,  which  I  was  obliged  to  de- 
cline owing  to  my  inability  to  speak  Enghsh.  The 
principal  journals  sent  me  their  reporters  who  gave 
long  and  minute  descriptions  of  my  system,  resulting 
in  my  being  obliged  to  give  increased  numbers  of  per- 
mits to  visit  my  establishment.  It  soon  became  very 
inconvenient  to  be  incommoded  every  day  by  visitors, 
even  the  Sabbath  not  being  always  respected  ;  so  I  was 
obhged  to  strictly  limit  the  time  of  exhibiting  my 
apparatus.  During  the  Centennial  it  will  be  in  the 
Agricultural  Hall  building,  Column  C.  After  the  Cen- 
tennial I  propose  to  have  it  on  exhibition  in  New 
York.  Persons  interested  in  this  can  send  me  their 
address  at  my  Box,  5470,  General  Post  Office,  New 
York,  and  I  will  send  them  an  invitation.  I  also  sent 
invitations  to  all  the  fancy  breeders,  about  2,700  in 
number,  many  of  them  coming  over  200  miles  to  see 
me.  I  give  in  my  circular  several  good  extracts  taken 
from  long  and  interesting  articles  published  by  several 
newspapers  most  competent  to  judge  of  the  merits  of 
my  invention.     These  articles  proved  very  interesting 


25 

to  tlie  public,  if  I  am  to  judge  from  the  thousands  of 
letters  politeness  required  me  to  answer,  and  it  would 
require  a  book  ten  times  as  large  as  this  to  answer  all 
the  questions  that  were  asked  in  these  communications, 
and  hence  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  dilating  upon 
many  matters  which  to  some  of  my  readers  may  ap- 
pear trivial.  The  information  I  have  sought  to  convey 
■will,  I  trust,  be  eminently  practical  though  unadorned 
by  any  literary  embeUishment. 

I  think  it  will  not  be  long  before  this  state  of  things 
will  change,  for  I  find  every  day  that  the  hatching  and 
raising  of  poultry  is  receiving  seiious  ameliorations. 
Already  many  people  have  adopted  my  system,  not  only 
in  the  United  States,  but  also  in  Europe,  from  where  I 
get  orders.  The  New  York  Sun  of  the  3rd  of  July 
1876,  had  a  long  editorial  in  reference  to  artificial  incu- 
bations, and  mentioned  a  gentleman  in  New  Jersey  who 
has  invested  $60,000  in  the  poultry  business.  The 
time  is  not  very  far  distant  when  the  capitahsts  will 
seek  to  invest  their  funds  in  this  business,  the  only  one 
where  there  are  no  risks  to  run.  Our  farmers  also  will 
learn  to  employ  their  time  in  Winter  I  trust,  and  will 
find  more  than  enough  profit  in  the  sale  of  their  Spring 
chickens  to  pay  for  the  manure  they  will  require  in  the 
culture  of  their  fields  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  which 
I  think  they  will  allow  is  sufficient  remuneration  for 
the  trouble  they  m^y  have  taken.  The  time  will  come 
when  we  shall  see  signs  in  all  the  cities,  "Chicken 
Manufactory,"  and  every  family  who  has  a  house  will 
raise  its  own  poultry  the  same  as  it  now  makes  its 
bread,  butter  and  cheese.  I  know  of  a  good  many 
countrymen,  who,  I  am  sure  will  not  be  sorry  to  give 
up  his  pork  and  beef. 
3 


26 

Many  of  my  readers  may  be  astonished  that  the 
farmers  have  not  thought  of  using  manure  for  hatching 
out  young  chickens,  since  nearly  100  years  haye  passed 
since  Beaumur  promulgated  his  discoveries  to  the 
world.  Helas  1  Yes,  it  is  true,  but  then  you  know  it 
was  such  a  simple  thing  and  so  easy  to  do  that  no  one 
would  bother  with  it,  and  especially  as  no  one  could  be 
found  to  puff  it,  and  nothing  to  be  made  in  giving  it 
the  publicity  it  deserved,  whilst  a  machine  with  lamps 
(there  was  some  chance  of  making  a  business  of  it  with 
enormous  profit  for  the  maker)  received  its  due  amount 
of  brag. 

Chance,  however,  is  sometimes  the  origin  of  many 
things,  and  now  and  then  clears  away  the  clouds  that 
lead  to  fortune.  I  had  just  finished  my  experiments 
when  I  read  in  the  Commercial  Advertiser  of  New 
York,  of  the  25th  of  June,  1874,  the  following  : 

ARTIFICIAL  INCUBATION. 

"  A  lady  residing  near  the  Sisters'  Hospital  keeps  a 
half  dozen  or  more  hens,  and  has  been  astonished  at 
the  strange  manner  in  which  a  nest  full  of  eggs  was 
hatched.  A  quantity  of  manure  had  been  thrown  from 
the  stable,  and  yesterday  the  children  heard  young 
chickens  in  this  pile.  They  at  once  called  the  attention 
of  their  mother  to  the  fact,  who,  to  solve  the  mystery, 
directed  that  the  heap  be  pulled  down.  When  this 
was  done,  a  short  distance  from  the  surface  a  cavity 
was  discovered  in  which  were  nine  little  chicks.  The 
hen  had  managed  to  make  her  nest  in  the  heap,  and 
after  laying  eleven  eggs,  the  opening  had  been  closed 
by  the  stablemen  piling  on  more  of  the  cleanings  from 
the  stable.  The  warmth  generated  in  the  heap  had 
incubated  the  eggs,  and  nine  of  the  eleven  hatched 
out.  This  may  be  a  discovery  which  some  one  may 
turn  to  account" — Pater  son  Guardian, 


27 


The  Inventor. 

I  sincerely  hope  that  all  those  who  have  fowls  will 
not  hesitate  to  hatch  some  eggs  in  manure ;  and  as  I 
am  certain  they  will  derive  a  handsome  profit  from 
doing  so.  Before  concluding  this  little  work  I  ask  per- 
mission to  give  the  biography  of  the  Hon.  M.  de  Keau- 
mur,  who  was  the  first  to  make  this  great  discovery. 

Eene  Antoine  Ferchault  de  Reaumur  was  born  at  La 
Eochelie,  France,  the  28th  of  February,  1682.  After 
having  graduated  at  Bourges,  his  fortune  allowed  him 
to  pursu3  the  study  of  the  sciences  to  which  his  inquir- 
ing mind  led  him.  The  early  part  of  his  life  was  given 
to  the  useful  arts,  and  it  is  to  him  that  France  owes 
her  manufactures  of  steel  and  tin.  Opaque  glass  was 
also  his  invention,  but  the  work  that  has  rendered  his 
name  immortal  is  called  "Memoires  pour  servir  a 
I'histoire  dt  s  insectes,"  6  volumes,  1734-1742. 

These  memories  reveal  in  each  page  the  exact  and 
minute  details  of  the  caterpillar,  moth,  butterfly,  grub^ 
fly  and  bee. 

He  was  still  employed  on  his  work  when  he  met  with 
an  accident  at  his  estate  of  Bremontier,  in  Maine, 
which  hastened  his  end,  and  he  died  October  17th, 
1757.  He  had  collected  a  splendid  assortment  of 
insects  which  he  left  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences,  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  Reaumur  also  published 
works  upon  shells,  upon  the  artificial  hatching  of  eggs 
by  heat,  and  upon  the  keeping  of  eggs  by  means  of 
greasing  them. 

In  1731  he  constnicted  a  thermometer,  to  which  his 
name  still  rejnains. 


28 


The  Sort  of  Manure— How  to  Use  It. 

The  manure  to  be  used  for  hatching  eggs  or  raismg 
the  young  chickens  must  be  taken  from  horses  fed  with 
grain,  (the  manure  of  a  horse  fed  only  on  grass  or  hay 
having  very  Httle  heat  in  it)  and  it  ought  to  be  several 
days  in  the  manure  yard,  or  even  a  month,  and  it  might 
be  advantageously  mixed  with  that  of  the  mule,  which 
contains  a  great  deal  of  heat ;  this  is  not  actually  ne- 
cessary, but  as  some  of  my  readers  no  doubt  will  have 
mules,  especially  in  the  South,  I  have  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  mention  this  fact. 

The  manure  ought  to  be  pure,  that  is  to  say,  any 
extraneous  matter  such  as  old  rags  must  be  shaken  out 
so  that  nothing  but  the  fine  straw  and  the  dung  well 
mixed,  is  used.  That  which  has  lain  all  the  Winter  in 
the  yard  and  become  frozen  and  full  of  snow  and  ice, 
cannot  be  used  with  success  unless  the  sun  has  melted 
them  and  the  heap  has  been  turned  over.  That  taken 
from  the  middle  of  the  pile  where  it  is  not  frozen,  may 
of  course  be  utihzed. 

For  artificial  incubation  the  manure  must  be  handled 
with  as  much  care  as  a  skillful  gardener  uses  in  making 
a  hot  bed  for  his  plants,  and  the  building  best  suited  to 
place  the  apparatus  in  is  one  in  which  the  air  circulates 
freely,  and  without  a  boarded  floor ;  the  temperature 
ought  to  be  as  near  equal  as  possible,  a  building  cov- 
ered with  glass  being  consequently  unsuitable,  that  is 
to  say  that  when  a  heap  of  manure  is  placed  in  such  a 
building,  the  sun  shining  on  it  increases  the  heat  con- 
siderably, while  at  night  the  temperature  is  lowered 
several  degrees,  thus  causing  endless  trouble  in  regu- 
lating it.  This  difficulty  I  experienced  at  the  Albany 
Fair  where  the  Agricultural  Society  placed  at  my  dispo- 


29 

sal  their  splendid  Floral  Hall,  built  entirely  of  glass, 
but  I  found  the  heat  120  deg.  during  the  day,  and 
hence  it  became  no  easy  matter  to  maintain  my  appa- 
ratus at  the  desired  temperature.  The  Society  there- 
fore erected  a  special  building  into  which  I  removed 
my  apparatus,  this  considerate  act  of  kindness  relieving 
me  of  all  further  anxiety  in  this  direction.  One  must 
therefore  have  as  plain  a  building  as  possible,  for  no 
other  heat  is  required  than  that  derived  from  the  heap 
of  manure,  and  that  is  even  more  than  sufficient,  for  ifc 
will  retain  its  temperature  for  40  or  50  days  Avithout 
varying  a  great  deal,  and  the  reader,  who  wishes  to  try 
my  system,  can  place  in  the  middle  of  such  a  building 
a  heap  of  manure,  six  feet  square,  taking  the  precau- 
tion of  forking  it  over  carefully  and  handling  it  as  be- 
fore mentioned,  being  careful  not  to  tread  on  the 
manure.  It  ought  to  be  packed  closely,  but  not  trodden 
down,  and  when  the  heap  is  18  inches  deep  the  hatch- 
ing apparatus  is  placed  in  the  middle ;  a  barrel  or  a 
box  of  any  description  will  answer,  but  the  wood  must 
not  be  too  thick  (a  flour  barrel  is  as  good  a  thing  as 
any)  and  there  must  be  a  cover  on  it  and  a  system  of 
ventilation  arranged  to  regulate  the  heat,  after  which  it 
must  be  carefully  covered  with  manure  to  make  the 
heap  square.  After  two  days  one  ought  to  have  about 
120  deg.  of  heat,  but  it  w^ould  be  imprudent  to  place 
the  eggs  in  the  receptacle  or  box  with  which  he  wishes 
to  make  the  experiment  either  of  hatching  or  rearing 
the  chicks,  but  care  must  be  taken  to  diminish  the  heat 
to  100  deg.  or  102  deg.  ;  then  the  eggs  may  be  placed 
in  it  and  kept  at  102  to  105  degs.,  care  being  taken  to 
take  them  out  every  day  to  cool,  and  to  exclude  frost 
from  the  building,  for  the  sudden  change  from  hot  to 
cold  w^ild  kill  the  bird  in  the  shell,  but  still  they  must 
30 


30 

have  air,  for  air  is  tlie  life  of  the  chick,  and  conse- 
quently if  the  raiser  finds  the  hatch  amounts  to  only- 
five  or  six  out  of  thirteen  or  sixteen  eggs  placed  under 
the  setting  hen,  the  fault  is  generally  from  the  close 
setting  of  the  hen,  and  this  malady  is  such  that  it  fi*e- 
quently  happens  they  die  on  the  nest. 

It  is  therefore  necessary  that  every  one  who  makes  a 
business  of  poultry  raising  should  take  the  setting  hen 
off  her  nest  and  feed  her  or  turn  the  eggs.  The  feed- 
ing should  not  take  longer  than  20  minutes.  It  being 
proved  that  air  is  indispensable,  one  must  therefore 
give  it  to  the  egg  while  in  process  of  hatching,  the  same 
as  if  it  were  covered  by  the  hen.  Artificial  hatching 
is  only  imitating  nature,  and  therefore  it  is  important 
that  whatever  nature  requires  must  be  imitated  in  the 
minutest  details,  no  matter  how  simple  it  appears,  for 
often  on  what  appears  to  be  but  a  trifle,  success  de- 
pends. I  cannot  too  strongly  recommend  those  who 
make  a  business  of  poultry,  to  entrust  to  only  one  per- 
son, and  that  a  reliable  one,  the  management  of  the 
Incubator  as  well  as  the  care  of  the  poultry.  No  other 
business  more  imperatively  demands  the  services  of  an 
employee  in  whom  implicit  confidence  can  be  placed. 
During  my  residence  in  London  I  have  frequently 
known  capitaHsts  engaged  in  the  raising  of  poultry.  I 
visited  one  fine  estabhshment  and  refused  the  manage- 
ment of  it  because  it  was  too  difficult  to  oversee  the 
hands  employed,  and  after  spending  more  than  $200,- 
000  the  stockholders  withdrew.  I  therefore  say  to  all 
those  who  wish  to  engage  in  the  poultry  business  that 
they  ought  especially  to  work  themselves,  if  not,  suc- 
cess is  impossible,  for  there  are  a  hundred  indispensa- 
ble points,  the  non-observance  of  which  will  inevitably 
entail  failure. 


31 


The  Best  Breed. 

I  have  frequently  been  asked  what  breed  of  hens  ia 
the  best?  This  question  is  very  difficult  to  answer, 
from  the  fact  that  all  depends  upon  the  purpose  for 
which  they  are  kept,  whether  for  profit  or  pleasure.  To 
those  who  keep  them  only  for  pleasure  I  do  not  wish 
to  give  any  advice,  as  taste  and  color  are  a  mere  mat- 
ter of  fancy,  but  to  those  who  wish  to  make  money  out 
of  them  I  would  say  that  in  a  warm  climate  and  where 
eggs  are  the  main  object,  I  would  prefer  the  Leghorns, 
as  they  are  good  layers  but  bad  setters,  and  even  to 
those  who  wish  to  use  incubators,  the  eggs  of  these 
hens  give  chickens  difficult  to  fatten,  and  they  never 
weigh  enough,  and  as  poultry  is  sold  by  weight,  there 
is  nothing  to  be  made  by  them  ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  deshed  to  market  them,  the  White  Bramah  or 
Buif  Cochins  should  be  selected,  which  give  nice  chick- 
ens, easily  raised  and  readily  fattened.  There  are  cer- 
tainly other  excellent  varieties,  but  the  two  that  I  have 
recommended  are  my  choice,  and  I  only  state  what  my 
long  experience  has  proved.  I  have  had  some  of  every 
desirable  sort,  and  I  am  certain  all  the  raisers  of  poul- 
try are  of  my  opinion. 

One  of  the  most  essential  points  is  to  feed  hens  with 
the  least  possible  expense,  especially  where  a  large 
number  is  kept ;  this  is  a  very  important  point,  and  the 
poultry  raiser  will  do  well  to  keep  it  steadily  in  view. 
The  farmer  who  has  50  or  60  hens  is  satisfied  to  throw 
them  a  few  handsful  of  corn  every  day,  but  when  one 
makes  a  business  of  it,  it  becomes  a  much  more  serious 
affair.  I  can  not  too  strongly  recommend  as  food,  the 
refuse  from  the  hotel  kitchens  for  laying  hens,  but  it 
should  never  be  given  to  the  young  chickens,  there  be- 


32 

ing  nothing  so  bad  as  meat  for  them.  I  was  foolish 
enough  to  follow  the  advice  in  a  contrary  direction, 
given  in  a  work,  the  name  of  which  I  withhold  out  of 
politeness,  but  I  paid  dearly  for  it  in  the  loss  of  an  in- 
numerable quantity  of  chickens.  Meat  does  not  digest 
quickly  enough  and  cannot  find  a  passage  as  quickly  as 
meal ;  the  consequence  is,  that  after  a  few  days  the 
chickens  die.  This  great  mortality  caused  me  to  make 
many  researches  in  other  books ;  finally  I  wrote  to 
several  newspapers  in  Europe,  and  one  of  them  sent 
me  the  following ; 

Diseased  Feet  in  Chickens. 

Under  the  above  heading  we  find  in  the  London 
Fancier's  Gazette  of  Nov.  6,  a  communication  from  M. 
Leno,  an  old  and  somewhat  famous  breeder  of  chick- 
ens, in  which  he  says  : 

"During  the  last  twenty-six  years  I  have  been  solici- 
ted by  near  neighbors  to  unravel,  if  possible,  the  mys- 
tery of  diseased  feet  in  chickens,  which  included  young 
turkeys,  pheasants  and  poultry.  I  found  the  toes  of 
many  completely  eaten  off,  some  crumpled  up  with 
sores,  others  with  toes  turned  under  the  foot,  and  of 
course  many  deaths,  as  they  could  scarce  move  about. 
I  made  the  most  careful  inquiries  of  the  several  indi- 
viduals as  to  the  food  given  to  them,  and  in  every  case 
I  found  a  large  quantity  of  animal  food  was  being 
used.  I  otfdered  the  meat  to  be  discontinued  at  once, 
the  result  of  which  was  that  not  a  sinHe  bird  fell  with 
the  disease  that  had  not  been  fed  with  the  meat,  prov- 
ing to  my  mind  that  the  disease  was  caused  through 
the  too  liberal  use  of  animal  food ;  and  the  other  cases 
I  inspected  were  similarly  affected  to  mine. 

My  opinion,  founded  on  long  experience  as  regards 
so-called  cramp  in  young  pheasants  and  poultry,  is  that 
it  is  caused  by  a  too  bountiful  supply  of  animal  food, 
and  not  by   wet  ground.     I  know  many  game   and 


33 

poultry  rearers  will  believe  me  to  be  on  the  wrong 
scent ;  but  wben  so-called  cramp  makes  its  appearance, 
reduce  the  quant j  of  animal  food  and  note  the  result. 
I  am  not  against  the  use  of  animal  food,  for  I  know,  if. 
judiciously  and  sparingly  used,  it  is  a  very  gi-eat  help  ; 
but  overdo  it,  and  the  lesult  will  prove  very  disastrous." 

Infectious  "Water  for  Chickens. 

Several  persons  having  poultry  keep  pigeons  also. 
This  practice  is  prejudicial  to  the  hens,  etc.,  and  as  it 
is  imprudent  not  to  take  every  precaution,  I  will 
quote  one  case.  A  resident  of  Staten  Island  called 
upon  me  and  requested  me  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  poultry 
yard  ;  all  his  stock,  he  said,  were  sick,  and  the  mortal- 
ity very  great.  I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  assist  him 
with  my  experience,  so  I  went  to  his  house,  which  I 
must  say  was  kept  in  anything  but  a  proper  manner, 
and  I  found  he  had  seven  or  eight  hundred  hens  of 
different  kinds,  and  very  badly  chosen  were  they.  After 
having  examined  thirty  or  forty  of  them  I  told  this  un- 
fortunate breeder  to  change  the  water  in  the  drinking 
fountains.  He  took  the  water  from  a  cistern  and  I 
asked  him  where  the  water  came  from  that  filled  it,  and 
he  said  from  the  roof  of  the  hen  house.  Now  as  there 
were  more  than  one  hundred  pigeons  on  it  continually, 
it  was  apparent  that  every  shower  of  rain  washed  their 
manure  into  this  cistern,  and  that  the  water  he  gave 
his  fowls  contained  a  strong  acid  and  was  acting  on 
them  as  a  slow  poison.  I  ordered  a  purgative,  pure 
water  and  to  change  the  food,  and  the  following  week 
the  sickness  had  disappeared  ;  therefore  if  you  keep 
pigeons  give  the  fowls  water  from  a  well. 

Many  persons  believe  every  egg  contains  a  chick  > 
those  who  do  so,  labor  under  a  ^eat  mistake.  If  1 
wish  to  offer  a  friend  a  pure  egg  I  would  give  him  one 


54 

from  a  hen  fed  on  corn  and  from  a  yard  where  no  roost' 
ers  are  kept ;  but  if  on  the  contrary  I  wish  to  hatch 
them,  I  would  take  them  from  one  where  there  were 
several  and  which  were  fed  on  hotel  refuse,  especially 
in  the  Winter  season,  for  then  only  a  few  are  fit  for 
hatching,  for  two  reasons.     1st.  At  that  season  nature 
is  sluggish.     2nd.  That  the  hens  remain  nearly  all  daj 
on  the  roost  and  the  roosters  have  not  the  same  chance 
as  when  they  are  running  in  the  yard.     Every  one  who 
has  the  requisite  knowledge  to  raise  poultry  with  profit, 
takes  the  precaution  to  double  the  number  of  the  roost- 
ers that  run  with  their  hens  in  winter,  and  every  day  to 
drive  the  hens  out  of  the  house  to  pass  a  few  hours  in 
a  yard  or  piece   of  ground  near  the  poultry  house, 
covered  in  with  glass  so  that  the  sun  may  enter.     In 
ordinary  calculations  twice  two  makes  four,  except  in 
the  poultry  business,  when  nearly  always  twice  two  only 
make  three ;  that  is  to  say,  any  one  having  100  hens 
will  find  they  give  them  a  profit,  but  if  they  have  200 
they  will  find  generally  a  loss  unless  well  posted  in  this 
matter.     In  keeping  hens  there  is  a  right  way  and  a 
wrong  one,  and  very  few  know  the  right  one ;  the  art  • 
of  raising  poultry  with  profit  depends  on  a  number  of 
little  things,  essential  points,  which  put  together,  lead 
the  raiser  either  to  ruin  or  a  fortune,  and  I  hope  that 
my  experience  will  be  of  use  to  others,  for  I  firmly  be- 
lieve few  are  disposed  to  make  the  sacrifice  that  I  have, 
and  the  reader  will  find  in  this  little  book  all  that  I  have 
been  able  to  collect  in  the  way  of  valuable  information 
from  the  principal  breeders  and  authors,  but  I  don't 
think  any  of  them  have  been  able  to  discover  a  way  to 
hinder  the  hen  from  sitting,  at  least.     With  my  system 
they  sit  only  a  few  days,  and  this  is  the  rational  of  the 
process. 


35 


Hens  Sitting  only  Sis  Days. 
Having  always  eggs  in  my  apparatus,  directly  a  hen 
wishes  to  sit  I  give  her  those  taken  from  the  apparatus 
and  which  in  consequence  have  passed  thirteen  or  fif- 
teen days  in  incubation  by  the  heat  of  the  manure, 
therefore  the  hen  has  only  to  finish  the  hatching  already 
begun.  I  then  leave  her  ten  days  with  the  young  chick- 
ens. After  this  time  she  is  put  back  again  in  the  poul- 
try house  ;  hence,  instead  of  losing  three  months  of  her 
laying  she  only  loses  fifteen  days,  and  for  those  who 
have  a  great  many  hens  this  is  of  great  importance. 
The  chickens  are  then  placed  in  the  raising  department 
where  there  are  hundreds  of  young  ones  of  every  age. 
To  lead  a  regiment  like  this  to  the  fields,  I  placed  in 
the  poultry  house  a  mother  selected  for  the  purpose ; 
she  guarded  all  my  ducklings,  chickens,  young  turkeys, 
every  variety  of  breed  and  color,  and  nothing  was  more 
pleasing  than  to  see  her,  a  fine  White  Bramah  walking 
about  with  four  or  five  hundred  httle  ones,  and  when 
she  rested  one  might  see  her  surrounded  like  a  general 
with  his  staff,  and  at  night  she  stretched  her  wings,  so 
ambitious  was  she  to  try  and  cover  them  all ;  but  the 
greater  number  went  of  themselves  under  the  artificial 
mothers.  I  therefore  advise  all  those  who  raise  poultry 
artificially  to  follow  this  plan,  and  if  unable  to  get  so 
good  a  hen,  when  the  chickens  are  two  days  in  the  arti- 
ficial mother,  to  place  two  or  three  young  chickens  a 
little  olde^  with  them,  and  whether  they  come  from  the 
mother  or  the  artificial  one,  these  will  act  as  school- 
masters, and  will  teach  them  to  eat  and  drink  and  run 
in  the  yard.  One  ought  never  to  let  a  hen  and  her 
young  ones,  or  those  out  of  the  artificial  mother,  go  out 
until  the  sun  has  dried  up  the  dew  with  which  the  grass 


36 

is  covered  every  morning.  Another  point  to  whicli  I 
would  call  attention,  is  the  method  of  discovering 
whether  an  egg  is  fertilized  or  not ;  people  generally 
take  the  egg  to  a  candle  either  before  or  after  it  is 
placed  under  the  hen ;  some  place  it  in  a  bowl  of  water 
and  say  that  if  it  sinks  it  is  impregnated,  and  if  it 
swims,  it  is  not.     The  surest  way  is  this  : 

How  to  tell  whether  Eggs  are  Fertilized. 

After  the  eggs  have  been  hatching  five  or  six  days 
either  under  a  hen  or  in  an  incubator,  take  a  lamp  into 
a  darkened  room  and  hold  the  egg  before  the  hght ;  if 
it  is  fertilized  it  will  show  a  small  black  speck,  and  in 
turning  the  egg  round  with  the  fingers  you  will  perceive 
that  it  moves.  (In  about  twelve  hours  can  be  discerned 
the  commencement  of  organization  in  the  gelatinous 
spot  called  the  germ,  which  is  always  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  yolk  whatever  the  position  of  the  egg.  At  the 
end  of  the  first  day  the  head  and  the  back  bone  can  be 
distinguished ;  at  the  end  of  the  second  the  vertebral 
and  the  heart ;  the  third  contributes  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  heart  and  the  breast ;  the  fourth  to  that  of 
the  eyes  and  liver ;  on  the  fifth  the  stomach  and  kid- 
neys are  discernible  ;  the  sixth  the  lungs  and  skin ; 
the  seventh  the  intestines  and  the  beak  ;  the  eighth  the 
bladder  of  the  gall  and  the  verticles  of  the  brain;  the 
ninth  the  wings  and  legs,  and  on  the  tenth  day  all  the 
parts  which  are  necessary  to  complete  the  bird  are  in 
their  place,  and  are  developed  and  attain  during  the 
following  days  their  proper  size.)  If  on  t^^e  contrary 
this  speck  is  stationary,  that  is  to  say  stuck  to  the  shell, 
the  chick  is  dead ;  all  eggs  that  have  not  this  black 
speck  are  clear  and  still  good  to  eat.  You  can  never- 
theless  assure  yourself  of  this  fact  by  breaking  two 


37 

eggs  into  a  cup ;  that  with  the  black  speck  will  show  a 
little  blood,  while  that  without  it  will  not  have  this. 
This  black  speck  will  be  much  larger  when  the  roosters 
are  in  good  condition.  It  often  happens  that  eggs  are 
left  in  the  nests  of  the  hens  and  consequently  are  sat 
upon  several  days,  and  if  these  eggs  are  kept  a  day  or 
two  before  being  placed  to  hatch,  this  interval  is  suffi- 
cient to  kill  the  chick  which  has  already  begun  to 
form ;  therefore  the  eggs  ought  to  be  gathered  twice  a 
day  from  all  the  nests,  care  being  taken  not  to  shake 
them.  Twenty  days  after  being  laid  an  egg  cannot  be 
put  to  hatch  with  any  certainty  of  success.  The  dura- 
tion of  time  is  the  same  for  hatching  eggs  in  an  incu- 
bator as  under  the  hen,  thus — hens'  eggs  take  21  days, 
ducks  28,  turkeys  29,  Guinea  hens  27,  pea  hens  30,  and 
geese  32.  Fresli  eggs  are  generally  one  or  two  days 
earher. 

Twenty  Dollars  Profit  from  each  Hen. 

A  savant  has  said  that  to  eat  an  egg  is  hke  eating  an 
unripe  fruit,  and  I  am  going  to  try  and  demonstrate 
what  truth  there  is  in  his  reasoning.  Let  us  take  for 
example  the  hen ;  she  lays,  we  will  say,  on  an  average, 
130  eggs  annually ;  she  sits  on,  say  12,  and  hatches  out 
of  this  number,  seven  or  eight  chickens  ;  there  remains 
118  which  are  not  sat  upon  and  in  consequence  have 
not  become  flesh  to  eat;  if  the  raiser  has  sold  these 
eggs  at  two  cents  each,  it  is  because  he  did  not  know 
how  to  convert  them  into  chickens  which  could  be  sold 
at  from  50  to  60  cents  each.  Now  let  us  see  the  diifer- 
ence  as  a  business  transaction :  If  all  the  eggs  w^ere 
turned  into  chickens  instead  of  being  sold  as  eggs  at 
two  cents  each,  it  being  understood  that  the  hen  sat 
upon  12  eggs,  we  must  only  place  the  figures  upon 
4 


38 

those  that  were  turned  into  poultry  ;  thus  118  eggs  at 
two  cents  each  give  $2  36.  Now  let  us  suppose  them 
hatched  out  by  means  of  an  incubator  ;  there  would  be 
about  100  of  them  that  would  reach  the  market ;  allow 
for  cost  of  feeding  them,  $10 ;  one  cannot  of  course 
expect  that  they  would  all  live  so  we  will  allow  10  per 
cent,  for  deaths,  etc.,  there  still  would  remain  90  chick- 
ens at  50  cts.  each,  making  $45  00,  from  which  sum  we 
must  deduct  their  value  as  eggs,  $2  36,  food  $10,  and 
we  will  say  for  labor,  etc.,  another  $10  00,  making  a 
total  of  $22  36  to  be  deducted,  leaving  over  $20  00 
that  a  hen  might  be  made  to  make  as  profit.  The 
reader  may  perhaps  be  surprised  in  looking  over  these 
figures,  and  perhaps  more  astonished  that  we  have  not 
a  larger  established  poultry  business ;  but  to  arrive  at 
this  it  will  take  a  longer  time  than  one  would  suppose. 
For  more  than  twenty-five  years  meat  might  have  been 
imported  into  England,  and  yet  it  is  only  this  year  that 
a  good  method  of  preservation  has  been  discovered. 
I  really  hope  that  in  the  next  century  they  will  call  us 
savages  for  having  compelled  a  hen  to  sit  21  days  on 
her  eggs  just  to  give  her  102  deg.  of  heat ;  it  certainly 
would  be  more  humane  and  more  advantageous  for  the 
raiser  to  let  her  lay  eggs. 

My  Apparatus. 

I  would  have  liked  in  this  work  to  have  given  some 
details  about  my  apparatus,  that  is  to  say,  its  propor- 
tions and  dimensions,  how  it  is  made,  how  to  place  the 
eggs  in  it,  how  it  is  managed,  and  how  the  incubator  is 
changed  into  an  artificial  mother  that  is  able  to  cover 
the  chicks  one  day  old  as  well  as  those  of  a  month, 
which  are  naturally  larger,  but  I  have  not  done  so,  be- 
cause with  each  apparatus  I  send  out  a  guide  which 


39 

fally  explains  all  this,  and  I  am  sure  that  every  con- 
scientious reader  will  understand  that  for  the  price  at 
which  this  book  is  sold  I  cannot  give  every  one  the 
facility  to  make  an  apparatus  to  save  the  few  dollars 
that  he  would  have  to  pay  me  for  my  patent,  while  I 
have  passed  several  years  and  expended  a  fortune  to 
perfect  the  invention.  When  I  allowed  every  one  to 
see  them  there  were  some  unscrupulous  persons,  who 
after  coming  to  see  me  two  or  three  times  and  causing 
me  much  annoyance  and  loss  of  time,  had  apparatuses 
made  very  nearly  like  mine.  Dishonest  persons  are 
found  everywhere,  but  so  are  honest  ones,  and  my 
thanks  are  due  to  one  of  the  latter  who  informed  me 
that  his  neighbor  had  infringed  my  patent  right,  and 
my  lawyers  made  this  man  pay  dearly  for  his  audacity., 
A  Mr.  I.  of  P.,  after  having  written  several  letters  to 
me,  asked  where  he  could  see  an  apparatus  in  the 
neighborhood ;  without  suspecting  his  design  I  gave 
him  the  address  of  one  person ;  he  went  twice  to  see 
him  and  caused  him  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  as  he  had 
some  eggs  hatching  at  the  time  ;  by  continually  opening 
the  cover  he  deranged  the  temperature  ;  this  person 
wrote  to  tell  me  not  to  send  him  any  more  curious 
people  as  it  was  very  disagreeable  to  him  and  contrary 
to  my  interests,  as  this  visitor  also  made  an  apparatus 
after  the  model  of  the  one  he  saw  in  operation.  This 
is  very  discouraging  and  necessitates  great  vigilance  in 
guarding  my  own  interests.  I  have  no  desire  to  pre- 
vent any  intelligent  man  from  reaping  the  benefits  of 
my  discovery  ;  I  shall  be  only  too  happy  to  assist  him, 
providing  he  remembers  that  there  are  laws  that  protect 
patent  rights.  The  number  of  inventors  who  have 
died  poor  is  considerable,  and  I  do  not  propose  to  be- 
come an  addition  thereto.     I  am  not  acquainted  with 


40 

any  one  connected  with  the  newspapers  or  in  any  soci- 
ety, neither  am  I  indebted  to  any  one  for  the  awards  I 
have  received  in  appreciation  of  my  labors,  and  if  the 
papers  have  devoted  whole  columns  to  my  discovery  it 
is  simply  because  it  was  interesting  to  their  readers 
and  not  on  any  account  because  it  w^as  intended  to 
oblige  me.  All  the  intelligent  readers  will  see  in  scan- 
ning the  lists  of  the  papers  which  have  commented  on 
my  apparatus,  that  they  are  journals  whose  managing 
staff  of  editors  it  is  impossible  unduly  to  influence  or 
to  buy. 

To  the  Ladies. 

The  husband  generally,  is  supposed  to  be  the  bread 
earner  of  the  family,  and  I  now  call  your  attention 
seriously  to  the  following  : 

Everj  mother  is  more  or  less  troubled  for  the  future 
welfare  of  their  families,  and  I  would  not  wish  them  to 
lose  sight  of  this  fact.  I  have  known  many  famihes 
who  were  very  comfortable  duriog  their  husband's  life, 
but  at  his  death  are  placed  in  straitened  circumstan- 
ces, if  not  in  actual  poverty.  What  business  can  the 
mother  follow  if  she  has  been  the  wife  of  a  merchant's 
clerk  and  able  to  keep  her  own  servants,  but  the  re- 
quirements of  position  have  prevented  her  from  saving 
anything,  and  whenejrer  misfortune  comes  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  the  means  of  living  and  educating  the 
children  ?  How  much  better  is  it  to  anticipate  such  a 
crisis  and  to  begin  as  soon  as  possible  to  have  a  certain 
income  ?  Engage  in  the  poultry  business,  and  when  you 
have  sold  the  first  $500  worth  your  fortune  is  made ; 
for  should  misfortune  arrive  all  that  you  have  to  do  is 
to  increase  the  number  of  your  hens. 

However  grievous  the  loss  of  the  husband  may  be, 


41 

and  whenever  it  may  happen,  you  may  be  sure  he  would 
bless  you  for  securing  the  welfare  of  his  children  and 
driving  that  gaunt  dog,  poverty,  from  the  door ;  and 
even  should  not  death,  but  commercial  panics,  which 
are  a  most  frequent  cause  of  misery,  cause  a  change  of 
living,  your  poultry  will  supply  all  the  necessaries  of 
life,  and  I  should  be  happy  if  I  knew  that  this  advice 
had  been  followed. 

Already  has  the  example  been  set  in  Europe  by  sev- 
eral ladies,  who  certainly  would  never  require  assist- 
ance from  the  raising  of  poultry,  and  yet  are  not 
ashamed  to  acknowledge  that  they  do  receive  a  large 
profit  from  this  pursuit,  and  have  great  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  in  devoting  their  time  and  intelligence  to  it. 

Her  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria,  of  England,  has  a 
splendid  poultry  house  and  spends  numerous  days  in 
studying,  with  great  attention,  the  different  remedies 
for  ameliorating  the  condition  of  poultry,  and  we  are 
indebted  to  her  for  the  system  of  feeding  which  she  has 
pursued  for  young  turkeys,  so  as  to  avoid  the  great 
mortality  that  takes  place  when  they  get  the  red.  This 
receipt  has  been  regarded  by  those  who  are  engaged  in 
turkey  raising,  as  a  very  superior  remedy.  But  a  long 
time  before  some  people  had  presented  to  her  Majesty 
the  discovery  of  this  receipt,  we  had  made  use  of  it 
and  recommended  it  already.  Further  on  more  ex- 
planation will  be  found. 

We  find  also  that  the  example  set  by  Queen  Victoria 
has  been  followed  i^  France  by  the  Countess  d'Albertas 
and  the  lovely  Marchioness  Bugean  de  la  Tour  de  Pin, 
Antonie  Passy,  Cora  Millet,  Marie  la  Barriere  de  St 
Polen  Garret,  etc.  Madame  la  Baronne  de  Leinas, 
widow  of  an  officer  without  fortune,  and  six  children, 
became  immensely  wealthy  in  raising  poultry,  and  al- 

4d 


42 

ready  two  of  her  accomplished  daughters  are  married 
to  men  of  the  first  rank  and  position.  The  fortune  of 
Madame  de  Leinas  is  daily  and  steadily  increasing  from 
this  source. 

Amonnt  of  Profit  to  be  Made  by  12  Hens. 

I  have  not  wished  by  misrepresentation  to  sell  at  a 
high  price  a  complicated  incubator,  or  one  that  is  often 
too  difficult  and  dangerous  for  a  great  number  of  persons 
to  direct.  Many  persons,  especially  ladies,  have  asked 
me  what  success  and  profit  they  might  hope  to  attain 
with  twelve  hens  and  one  of  my  apparatuses,  and  my 
reply  has  been,  although  somewhat  difficult  to  assume 
as  circumstances  always  alter  cases,  and  many  things 
are  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  yet  the  following 
result  could  easily  be  attained :  If  the  hens  are  two 
years  old  they  will  give  altogether  in  a  year  about  1,200 
eggs,  allowing  10  per  cent,  for  clear  eggs  (eggs  not 
fertile)  the  remaining  1,080,  if  we  only  allow  a  success 
of  800  hatched,  and  deducting  25  per  cent,  for  deaths 
and  accidents,  there  would  remain  to  be  sold  as  Spring 
chickens  600,  which,  if  sold  direct  to  the  consumer, 
ought  to  bring  at  least  $500,  expenses  deducted.  Is 
not  this  money  very  easily  and  pleasantly  earned  ? 

If  you  think  we  have  exaggerated  in  this  statement 
we  will  allow  you  to  reduce  our  figures,  and  tell  us  is 
there  any  lawful  business  that  will  pay  so  well  as  the 
poultry  ? 

Anyhow,  we  may  not  be  of  sufficient  weight  to  plead 
this  cause,  but  remember,  that  all  those  who  have  writ- 
ten or  spoken  on  this  subject,  and  in  favor  of  poultry, 
have  sufficiently  demonstrated  the  profit  of  it.  On  re- 
ferring to  Mr.  Burnham's  new  poultry  book  (page  77), 


43 

I  find  the  following  account  of  Mr.  De  Sora's  estab- 
lishment :  The  quantity  of  eggs  during  the  last  year 
averaged  50,000  dozen  weekly,  which,  with  the  sales 
made  of  his  yearly  chickens,  yielded  him  $280,000  gross. 
His  expenses,  all  told,  were  some  $145,000,  leaving  him  a 
profit  of  $135,000  for  the  year. 

How  to   Establish   a   Poultry  Yard   with  $1,000 
Capital. 

Is  it  wise  to  employ  a  large  capital  in  the  business  ? 
No,  and  I  should  severely  blame  any  one  who  did  it ; 
hence,  to  those  desirous  of  undertaking  the  poultry 
business,  1  would  impress  upon  them  the  wisdom  of 
limiting  their  investment  to  $1,000  or  $1,200,  and  this 
amount  I  would  dispose  of  as  follows  : 

To  rent  of  farm  or  a  country  house  for  six 

months , $300  00 

"   building  a  hen  house 200  00 

"   purchase  of  100  hens,  etc 150  00 

"      10  roosters 40  00/ 

"    apparatus  of  1000  eggs 207  50 

*'    carting  and  placing  manure 20  00 

"    grain  lor  feed 50  00 

"    different  utensils 10  00 

"   balance,  cash  in  hand 222  50 

Total $1,200  00 

One  hundred  hens  would  give  40  to  60  eggs  per  day, 
and  as  it  takes  21  days  for  incubation,  the  result  is  that 
a  set  of  apparatuses  of  1000  eggs  would  leave  an  appa- 
ratus of  100  eggs  free  every  two  days.  It  may  happen 
that  the  hens  do  not  lay  regularly  the  number  of  eggs 
given  above  to  keep  the  incubator  fully  employed ;  in 
that  case  the  raiser  could  utihze  three  or  four  apparatus 
Bes  as  artificial  mothers,  which  in  truth  would  be  ne- 


44 

cessary  after  the  first  hatching ;  thus  I  would  recom- 
mdnd  for  a  set  of  1000  eggs,  six  as  incubators  and  four 
as  mothers  ;  for  a  set  of  500  eggs,  three  as  incubators 
and  two  as  mothers.  This  facihty  of  converting  the 
apparatus  either  into  an  incubator  or  mother,  meets  the 
wants  of  the  breeder  according  to  the  season.  Fancy 
breeders  will  save  a  great  deal  of  money  if  in  the 
hatching  season  they  have  an  apparatus  ready.  Those 
who  do  not  wish  to  let  their  hens  sit  21  days  might 
give  them  eggs  that  have  been  several  days  in  the  incu- 
bator, which  is  done  after  the  eggs  have  been  cooled. 
As  a  mother,  the  apparatus  will  render  important  ser- 
vice. Each  time  that  a  hen  lets  her  chicks  get  cold  or 
wet  the  apparatus  would  give  them  more  comfort  than 
a  hen  could  by  any  possibiHty.  The  "Mother"  is 
scientifically  arranged  so  that  the  chicks  cannot  smoth- 
er themselves,  and  in  it  they  get  every  part  of  tl:  eir 
bodies  warmed. 


PRACTICAL  RULES. 

NECESSAET  FOB 

Making  Money  Acquired  by  Twenty  Years  Ezperience. 


A  few  rules  applied  to  the  management  of  laying 
liens  will  insure  a  full  supply  of  eggs  throughout  the 
year.  But  the  small  number  of  rules  and  their  sim- 
plicity makes  it  imperative  that  they  be  understood 
and  applied. 

Hens  require  some  care  and  attention.  Unless  their 
owner  is  willing  to  see  to  his  hens  he  had  better  not 
have  them. 

1.  Hens  must  have  comfortable  and  convenient 
quarters  in  winter.  Most  people  keep  too  many  hens 
for  the  accommodations  they  furnish  them.  Hens  are 
naturally  active  animals,  and  when  confined  in  winter 
quarters  require  plenty  of  room.  Fifty  hens  and  five 
roosters,  of  all  ordinary  breeds,  should  have  a  house 
24x16  in  the  clear,  and  10  feet  high  in  the  clear.  This 
will  allow  about  70  cubic  feet  of  space  for  each  fowl, 
which  is  little  enough.  No  class  of  animals  is  so  sus- 
ceptible to  the  ill  efi'ects  of  crowding  as  the  feathered 
class.     Hens  will  not  lay  when  too  much  crowded,  nor 


46 

will  they  remain  healthy  long  if  too  many  are  kept 
together.  The  building  should  be  well  ventilated  by 
chimney  without  admitting  any  gusts  or  draughts  oi 
wind.  It  should  face  the  south,  if  possible,  and  have 
several  windows  in  front.  Where  the  weather  gets 
very  cold  it  will  be  well  to  have  the  whole  front  glazed 
and  have  a  stove  inside.  Hens  cannot  lay  unless  they 
are  kept  comfortable,  and  when  the  temperature  falls 
to  10  deg.,  or  lower,  they  require  a  little  artificial  heat. 
This  heat  must  be  carefully  managed  ;  a  Httle  fire  onl;y 
should  be  kept,  and  it  should  be  as  steady  as  possible. 
Uniformity  of  temperature  is  what  is  wanted.  The 
houses  must  be  kept  clean  and  neat.  The  floors  should 
be  swept  every  day,  and  be  dusted  over  with  dry  earth, 
ashes,  chaff,  short  straw,  or  litter  of  any  kind  that  can 
be  easily  removed.  Every  hen  house  should  have 
plenty  of  suitable  roosts.  There  should  be  a  shallow 
box  or  bin  in  one  corner — a  sunny  corner  is  best — con- 
taining dry  earth,  ashes,  chip-dirt,  or  a  mixture  of  them, 
for  the  hens  to  wallow  in.  They  enjoy  their  bath  in 
winter  as  much  as  in  summer.  Where  oyster  shells 
cannot  be  easily  procured,  there  should  be  a  box  con- 
taining gravel  within  reach  of  the  fowls.  A  sufficient 
number  of  nest-boxes  with  glass  nest  eggs  in  them, 
several  shallow  vessels  for  water,  and  a  feed  trough  will 
complete  the  necessary  outfit  for  the  hen  house.  A 
very  important  adjunct  to  the  hen  house  is  an  open 
shed  where  the  fowls  can  stay  at  pleasure  when  the 
weather  is  not  too  cold.  Such  a  shed  should  protect 
the  hens  from  the  prevailing  winds. 

2.  When  the  house  with  all  the  necessary  fixtures  is 
ready  for  the  stock,  the  next  consideration  is  to  have 
the  right  breed.  Almost  any  breed  will  do  tolerably 
well  with  proper  usage  ;  but  there  is  a  great  difference 


47 

in  the  laying  qualities  of  fowls.  Under  the  same  con- 
ditions, some  breeds  will  lay  twice  or  thrice  as  many 
eggs  in  a  given  time  as  others.  As  a  rale,  the  smaller 
breeds  are  the  best  layers ;  and  of  the  smaller  breeds 
the  Leghorns  are  preferable  for  several  reasons  :  They 
lay  a  full  medium-sized  egg,  are  enormous  layers,  are 
docile  and  easily  restrained,  and  have  a  yellow  skin. 
Of  the  large  breeds  the  Brahmas  are  the  best  layers. 
A  cross  of  Leghorn  rooster  on  light  Brahma  hens  will 
be  satisfactory.  When  one  wishes  to  make  eggs  a 
specialty,  only  pullets  should  be  kept  for  the  purpose, 
and  the  earlier  they  are  hatched  the  better.  Don't 
keep  hens  over  more  than  three  winters  unless  for  some 
good  reason. 

3.  Wlien  the  proper  accommodations  are  furnished 
and  the  proper  breeds  selected,  the  next  and  most  im- 
portant step  is  the  feeding.  Egg-production  is  hard 
work  for  hens,  especially  for  those  that  are  large 
layers.  An  egg  is  a  highly  organized  and  complex 
substance.  It  is  for  the  most  part  composed  of  albu- 
minous matters  and  oils  and  fats,  together  with  fibrin, 
phosphorus,  sulphur,  iron,  etc.,  in  small  but  appreciable 
quantities.  An  egg  is  a  potential  chicken.  The  hatch- 
ing process  adds  nothing  to  the  contents  of  the  eggy 
but  only  develops  the  chick  from  the  substance  already 
there.  Thus,  in  an  egg  there  is  the  material  for  bones, 
flesh,  brain,  nerves,  feathers,  and  all  the  organs  of  life. 
Hence  egg-production,  considered  physiologically,  is  an 
exhaustive  process,  when  hens  lay  regularly  and  con- 
stantly. Furthermore,  the  shells  of  eggs  are  com- 
posed almost  exclusively  of  carbonate  of  lime.  When 
a  hen  lays  freely  she  requires  a  supply  of  the  raw  ma- 
terial from  which  to  secrete  this  carbonate,  and  it 
should  be  furnished  to  her  at  all  times.     Is  it  anj 


48 

wonder,  then,  that  hens,  as  they  are  ordinarily  kept,  do 
not  lay  in  winter  ?  Their  food  must  contain  the  mate- 
rials from  which  they  secrete  eggs,  or  they  cannot  lay, 
Probably  nine-tenths  of  all  the  poultry  in  the  country 
is  fed  on  raw,  whole  corn.  We  know  that  corn  con- 
tains all  the  elementary  substances  that  eggs  do,  but 
in  very  much  smaller  quantities,  bulk  for  bulk,  and  when 
a  hen  has  no  other  food  she  cannot  eat  enough  to  afford 
the  ii.  aterials  for  an  egg  a  day,  or  every  other  day.  She 
will  get  fat  and  lazy,  but  cannot  lay.  Hence  the  necessity 
■for  a  variety  of  diet.  In  summer,  when  at  Hberty,  the 
hens  can  find  the  variety  of  food  that  suits  them,  and 
generally  lay  well  without  much  care  ;  but  in  winter 
they  can  get  only  what  is  given  them,  and  generally 
they  do  not  lay.  But  if  we  know  the  wants  of  the 
hens,  and  supply  them,  we  may  have  as  many  eggs  in 
winter  as  in  summer.  Poultry  are  large  consumers  of 
grass  when  they  can  get  it,  and  to  keep  in  good  health 
they  must  have  it,  or  its  equivalent,  in  winter.  Cab-" 
bages  or  boiled  vegetables  of  any  kind  are  good  sub-* 
stitutes.  Grass,  if  cut  gTeen  and  carefully  dried  in  the 
shade,  when  cut  fine  and  steeped  a  while  in  hot  water, 
is  nearly  as  good  as  green  grass,  and  is  eagerly  eaten 
in  winter.  Besides  grass,  or  its  equivalent,  we  must' 
give  a  supply  of  lime.  Oyster  shells,  when  they  can 
be  had,  are  the  most  convenient ;  when  they  cannot  be 
had,  ordinary  stone  lime  from  the  kilns  will  do  as  well, 
after  it  has  been  slaked,  but  gravel  must  be  supplied 
with  the  latter  form  of  lime.  Domestic  poultry  must 
be  classed  among  the  omnivorous  animals.  There  is 
nothing  that  can  be  eaten  that  a  hen  will  not  eat  if  she 
can  have  it — any  kinds  of  odds  and  ends  therefore  will 
not  come  amiss — and  much  refuse  matter,  that  would 
otherwise  be  wasted,  may  thus  be  turned  to  good  ac- 


49 

count.  Hens  are  very  large  consumers  in  proportion 
to  their  size,  and  scanty  feeding  in  winter  will  not  do 
They  should  have  as  much  as  they  want  to  eat  and  as 
often  as  they  want  it,  especially  when  they  are  laying 
well.  They  should  be  supplied  with  animal  food  in 
some  form — offal  meat,  cracklings,  chandler's  scraps, 
sour  thick  milk,  etc.,  will  give  the  necessary  supply. 

It  thus  appears  that  an  egg  is  a  complex  substance  ; 
that  it  is  composed  of  the  highest  products  of  secre- 
tion ;  that  egg-production  is  an  exhaustive  process  to 
the  hen ;  that  to  produce  them  in  large  quantities  we 
must  supply  the  proper  variety  of  diet,  and  plenty  of 
it ;  and  to  keep  up  the  health  and  strength  of  the  hens 
they  must  have  green  food  and  animal  food  in  winter. 

I  have  made  out  a  bill  of  fare  for  my  hens,  based  on 
physiological  principles,  keeping  in  view  the  composi- 
tion of  the  egg  itself  and  the  health  and  comfort  of  the 
hen.  I  will  not  occupy  space  in  showing  why  this  is 
in  accordance  with  theoretical  principles  or  analytic 
results.  I  do  not  claim  that  it  is  the  best  or  the  only 
way  to  feed  hens,  but  it  has  answered  so  well  with  me 
that  I  do  not  know  how  to  alter  it  for  the  better. 

This  is  how  I  feed :  Their  morning^  feed  consists  of 
cracked  (very  coarsely  ground)  corn,  wheat,  oats,  or 
corn  and  wheat  bran,  scalded,  and  fed  warm  in  a 
trough.  This  is  given  them  as  soon  as  they  can  see  to 
eat.  As  soon  as  they  are  fed  I  break  up  a  pound  of 
oyster  shells  for  35  heads.  Then  they  have  fresh 
water  from  the  pump  as  much  as  they  will  drink. 
Fowls  often  suffer  for  water  in  winter.  After  their 
breakfast  I  give  them  about  a  pound  of  scraps  or 
cracklings  from  the  chandler's  shop.  This  is  broken 
in  pieces  with  a  hatchet.  It  furnishes  animal  food  and 
is  cheap ;  I  give  two  or  three  quarts  of  tjiick,  sour 
5 


50 

milk  every  day,  with  a  handful  or  two  of  wheat  bran 
stirred  into  it.  Besides  this,  I  feed  some  cabbage, 
or  turnips,  or  potatoes,  every  day.  At  noon  they  have 
a  little  oats,  or  corn,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  fresh 
water  again,  in  clean  vessels.  At  night,  before  roosting 
time,  they  get  as  much  whole  corn  as  they  will  eat,  and 
fresh  water  again.  I  make  it  a  rule  to  give  as  much  as 
they  will  eat.     A  hungry  hen  will  not  be  a  laying  hen. 

The  greatest  regularity  should  be  observed  in  feeding 
and  caring  for  flocks.  Have  a  regular  time  for  all  the 
different  operations,  and  the  hens  will  become  as  me- 
thodical as  their  keepers.  Eggs  should  be  gathered 
punctually  twice  a  day,  or  oftener  in  very  cold  weather. 
The  morning  feed  should  not  be  made  too  wet,  and 
should  not  be  given  too  hot.  In  very  cold  weather  it  is 
advisable  to  put  a  little  cayenne  pepper  and  a  sprinkle 
of  salt  in  their  morning  food.  Besides  the  above 
enumerated  articles,  the  hens  should  have  all  the  scraps 
from  the  table.  They  are  very  fond  of  them,  and  will 
turn  them  to  better  account  than  cats  or  dogs  will. 

Let  us  recapitulate.  Give  your  hens  a  reasonable 
share  of  your  attention ;  furnish  suitable  accommoda- 
tions ;  get  and  keep  the  right  breed  ;  save  only  pullets, 
the  earliest  hatch,  for  laying.  Eurnish  as  great  a  vari- 
ety of  diet  as  possible,  and  feed  as  much  as  they  will 
eat.  Give  green  food  and  animal  food  of  some  sort  in 
winter.  Keep  the  hens  quiet  and  comfortable  ;  don't 
allow  them  to  be  worried  or  frightened.  Water  is  as 
important  as  food,  and  should  be  kept  clean  and  fresh. 
These  rules,  intelligently  applied,  will  secure  an  abund* 
ant  supply  of  eggs  at  all  times  of  the  year. 


51 


Care  of  Sitting  Hens. 

Ouglit  hens  to  sit  by  themselves  and  apart  from  other 
sitters?  This  question  is  one  to  be  answered  rather 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  convenience  of  the  breeder 
than  from  any  other.  No  doubt  hens,  if  left  to  suit 
themselves,  will  choose  a  nest  in  some  solitary  corner  ; 
but  the  habit  is  not  one  that  is  acquired  by  reason  of 
any  advantage  to  the  constitution  of  the  chicken,  but 
from  a  dread  of  enemies.  In  the  case  of  quiet  stock, 
such  as  the  Brahma,  there  is  no  need  of  separating  the 
sitters,  if  at  all  inconvenient  for  the  attendant. 

On  the  other  hand,  where  many  sitters  are  together, 
some  extra  care  is  necessary  in  arranging  the  nests  so 
that  every  hen  will  know  her  own.  The  nests  must  be 
scattered  widely  about  the  apartment,  for  it  will  never 
be  found  that  the  hen  which  should  occupy  a  nest  in 
the  upper  right-hand  corner  of  a  room  has  deserted  it 
for  one  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner.  Also,  if  the 
nests  look  very  unhke,  the  birds  will  observe  the  dis- 
tinction. The  difference  between  a  box  open  at  top 
and  a  barrel  turned  on  the  side,  is  palpable  enough  to 
the  dullest  sitter.  In  our  modern  fowl  houses,  where  a 
love  of  order  prevails,  the  nest-boxes  frequently  look  as 
much  alike  as  two  peas,  and  in  that  case  wisps  of 
straw  or  boughs  of  evergreens  may  be  fastened  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  a  nest  to  enable  the  occupant  to 
know  her  own.  This,  of  course,  must  be  done  before 
the  fowl  has  laid  her  laying  out,  so  that  the  features  oi 
the  vicinity  may  become  firmly  fixed  in  her  "mind," 
for  birds,  as  well  as  men,  have  minds. 

The  system  of  allowing  each  sitter  a  separate  apart- 
ment has  decided  advantages  in  many  cases.  It  is  al- 
ways the  best  plan  to  follow,  when  the  weather  is  warm 


52 

enougli,  to  give  each  sitter  a  yard  of  lier  own,  ten  or 
twelve  feet  square  to  exercise  in.  By  watching  sitting 
hens  at  feed,  when  they  have  range  and  opportunity  to 
follow  their  natural  bent,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  run 
around  at  a  great  rate,  acting  almost  like  mad,  and 
seem  determined  to  get  as  much  exercise  as  possible  in 
the  short  time  allowed  them.  In  this  way  their  bowels 
are  kept  in  good  order.  But  when  sitters,  in  order  to 
keep  laying  hens  from  their  nests,  are  confined  in  very 
small  separate  pens,  they  move  around  slowly,  and  in- 
stead of  running  and  flapping  their  wings,  they  mope, 
and  after  merely  satisfying  their  hunger,  take  to  the 
nest  again.  Therefore,  allow  each  sitter  as  large  a 
yard  as  can  be  afforded.  If  you  attempt  the  plan  of 
separate  confinement,  then  you  will  escape  the  evil  of 
two  hens  quarreHng  for  the  same  nest ;  layers  cannot 
drop  their  eggs  in  a  sitter's  nest,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
the  incubating  hens  are  allowed  plenty  of  exercise. 

Helping  Chickens  oiit  of  the  Shell. 

It  has  been  generally  supposed  that  chicks  that  are 
shell-bound,  or  too  weakly  to  get  out  without  assistance, 
could  not  be  saved,  but  an  accidental  discovery  has  put 
another  face  on  the  matter.  Keep  the  egg  in  tvarm 
water  (about  95  deg.)  while  the  assistance  is  being 
rendered,  and  success  may  be  hoped  for.  The  shell 
must  be  cracked  very  gently,  and  the  inner  membrane 
very  tenderly  peeled  off  till  the  chick  be  at  liberty, 
keeping  all  but  the  beak  under  water  until  nearly  clear. 
The  operation  must  be  performed  in  a  warm  place,  and 
tenderly,  as  if  touching  raw  flesh  ;  and  it  will  be  found 
that  the  water  generally  facilitates  matters,  liberating 
the  membrane  if  glued  to  the  chick,  and  enabling  it  to 


53 

be  separated  without  loss  of  blood.  Tlie  latter  occur- 
rence, nine  times  out  of  ten,  is  fatal ;  but  if  the  opera- 
tion be  completed  without  blood  flowing,  success  may 
be  anticipated  and  the  nearly  dead  chick  may  be  put 
by  the  fire  in  flannel,  or  under  the  hen,  if  a  quiet,  good 
mother — under  her  at  night,  in  any  case — and  next  day 
may  probably  be  as  well  as  the  others. 

Cooked  Food  for  Poultry. 

An  important  question  is  the  comparative  value  of 
raw  and  cooked  food.  That  the  latter  is  not  natural  is 
not  a  convincing  reason,  because  to  domestic  animals 
the  word  has  no  application.  They  are  in  a  pecuhar 
condition  in  many  respects,  resulting  from  the  long- 
continued  influence  of  domestication.  Besides,  there 
is  no  objection  to  departing  from  the  ordinary  food  of 
any  animal,  if  the  substitute  can  be  shown  to  be  as 
easy,  or  easier,  of  digestion.  In  reference  to  this  point 
it  must  be  decided  by  experiment. 

Now,  the  experiment  has  been  inade  over  and  over 
again.  Swine  have  been  fed  with  raw  and  with  cooked 
corn  in  equal  quantities,  and  the  result,  tested  by 
weighing,  is  from  20  to  40  per  cent,  in  favor  of  the 
cooked  article.  Some  keepers  are  accustomed,  with 
their  fowls,  to  boil  a  part  of  the  corn  in  the  kernel,  and 
they  do  well.  However,  it  must  be  said  that  they  soon 
tire  of  it,  and  cannot  be  induced  to  touch  it  if  raw  corn 
can  be  had.     The  food  is  also  sometimes  steamed. 

However,  sometimes  raw  food  is  better.  The  corn 
may  be  boiled  upon  the  ear,  thus  saving  the  labor  of 
shelling  it.  It  is  more  economical  to  boil  corn  in  the 
kernel  than  when  ground,  as  there  is  saved  not  only 
cost  of  grinding,  but  some  labor  in  the  cooking  process  ; 
for  mush  must  be  continually  stirred,  while  corn  in  the 

5e 


54 

kernel  will  not  "burn  down"  if  suffered  to  rest  on  a 
perforated  plate  for  a  few  inches  fi'om  the  bottom  of 
the  kettle. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  chemists  that  the  food  value  of 
certain  articles  is  increased  by  cooking,  increasing  the 
actual  amount  of  nutritious  substances  in  them. 

Another  method  of  softening  grains,  sometimes  em- 
ployed, is  fermentation,  which  turns  the  starch  of  the 
grain  into  sugar,  changing  it  into  a  substance  more 
easily  digested.  Brewers'  grains  are  much  given,  but 
should  be  used  only  in  alternation  with  whole  grain, 
because  they  are  too  moist  and  purge  the  fowls.  They 
are  to  be  recommended  in  the  rather  rare  cases — when 
costiveness  is  complained  of. 

Keep  the  Chickens  G-rowing. 
it  is  a  mistaken  policy  to  stint  young  fowls  of  rich 
food,  and  plenty  of  it,  is  what  they  need  ;  and  no  dan- 
ger of  over-feeding,  if  they  are  growing  and  have  their 
liberty.  Old  fowls  that  have  their  growth  and  are  shut 
up,  can  easily  be  fed  too  much,  but  do  not  fail  to  feed 
the  young  ones  all  they  will  eat.  A  good  feed  of  whole 
grain  of  some  kind,  just  as  late  in  the  evening  as  they 
can  see  to  eat  it,  is  one  of  the  means  of  making  fine 
stock.  Also  give  them  a  plentiful  breakfast  of  soft  food 
early  in  the  morning.  Let  no  food  lie  on  the  ground, 
or  anything  that  will  sour ;  it  will  be  very  likely  to 
make  the  little  chicks  sick.  A  few  cents  worth  of  food, 
given  at  the  proper  season  to  a  fine  bird,  may  make 
several  dollars  difference  in  the  price  when  you  come 
to  sell.  It  takes  a  certain  quantity  of  food  to  keep  up 
the  waste  of  sustaining  animal  life ;  so  every  ounce  of 
food  properly  digested,  in  addition  to  this  actua]  re- 
quirement, goes  to  increase  the  size  of  the  fowl.    E©» 


55 

member  this,  and  never  neglect  the  growing  stock. 
Time  lost  here  can  never  be  regained.  Neglect  the 
little  chicks,  and  you  will  surely  see  the  effects  of  the 
neglect  in  the  mature  fowl. 

Artificial  nest  eggs  may  be  prepared  very  simply  by 
breaking  a  small  hole  in  the  round  end  of  an  ordinary 
egg,  removing  the  contents  and  filling  the  shell  with 
plaster  paris,  sufficiently  moistened  with  water  as  to  be 
easily  poured  into  the  shell ;  after  it  hardens,  paste  a 
piece  of  white  paper  over  the  hole,  or  the  hens  will 
peck  out  the  plaster  paris  and  destroy  the  egg.  It  is 
easily  made  and  will  last  a  long  time.  It  is  advisable 
to  always  have  such  nest  eggs,  and  fowls  will  not  ac- 
quire the  habit  of  eating  their  eggs ;  hens  are  also  less 
Hable  to  wander  off  and  hide  their  nests  when  plenty 
of  nest  eggs  are  placed  in  the  nests. 

Hens  that  Eat  Eggs. 
The  best  way  to  break  hens  of  egg-eating  is  to  break 
their  necks,  and  re-stock  with  birds  that  have  not 
acquired  the  habit.  Fowls  that  are  expert  in  egg- 
eating  first  attack  the  shell  with  their  bill.  If  it  is  a 
thin  shell  a  few  strokes  will  break  it,  and  the  rest  is  an 
easy  job.  If,  however,  the  shell  is  a  thick  one,  they 
generally  fail  to  break  it  with  their  beak;  they  then 
begin  to  scratch  in  the  nest,  and,  with  their  feet,  throw 
the  egg  against  the  hard  side  of  the  box  until  it  is 
broken.  First  of  all,  make  hens  lay  hard-shelled  eggs, 
so  hard  that  they  cannot  be  readily  broken  by  a  hen's 
bill.  This  can  be  done  by  feeding  freely  with  slaked 
lime,  ground  or  broken  bones,  oyster  shells,  etc.  To 
prevent  breaking  against  the  sides  of  the  box,  the  nests 
should  be  high  and  lined  upon  the  sides  with  cushions 
filled  with  hay  or  other  soft    material.     Their  only 


56 

chance  tlien  is  that  they  may  throw  two  eggs  forcibly 
against  each  other.  To  prevent  this  take  the  nest  egg 
away  and  gather  the  eggs  several  times  a  day.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  leave  a  few  China  eggs  near  the  nest  for 
them  to  work  at,  which  wiU  make  their  bills  so  sore 
that  they  wiU  strike  the  real  egg  with  less  force. 

Evening  Exercise  for  Yarded  Fowls. 
During  the  summer,  when  fowls  must  be  shut  up  on 
account  of  their  roaming  propensities,  much  of  the  ill 
effects  of  their  imprisonment  may  be  avoided  if  they 
are  let  out  for  a  short  period  at  evening.  While  out 
they  may  be  watched,  although  there  is  little  danger  of 
their  going  into  the  garden,  and  they  wiU  find  enough 
in  the  grass-plots  to  keep  them  busy.  Indeed,  it  is  sur- 
prising how  beneficial  this  time  of  exercise  is.  The 
fowls,  knowing  that  they  are  to  have  a  chance  to  get 
out,  are  much  more  quiet  during  the  day,  and  if  regu- 
larity in  letting  them  out  and  shutting  them  up  be  ob- 
served, they  will  return  to  their  roosts  without  trouble. 
It  is  possible,  also,  that  an  hour  at  evening  is  nearly  as 
good  as  a  whole  day,  as  far  as  the  health  of  the  flock 
is  concerned ;  for,  if  there  is  any  special  article  of  diet 
needed,  they  will  hunt  all  the  more  dihgently.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  they  wiU  prefer  the  grass  to  the  plowed 
land.  By  such  an  arrangement  as  this,  large  flocks 
can  be  kept  in  good  condition,  although  shut  up  through 
the  year. 

Dust  Bath. 
By  instinct  all  birds  are  taught  the  need  of  a  dust  or 
water  bath  for  their  well-being.     They  choose  a  shel- 
tered and  sunny  spot  of  fine,  dry  soil,  in  which  they 
open  their  feathers  and  fill  them  with  dust,  which,  ap- 


57 

plied  often  enougli  and  in  sufficient  quantities,  is  death 
to  ail  parasites  which  infest  the  plumage  or  skin.  As 
the  domestic  fowl  is  not  a  native  of  a  cold  climate,  it 
becomes  necessary  for  us  to  supply  the  deficiency  which 
exists  during  our  winter  season.  This  is  readily  ac- 
complished by  the  dust  box,  which  every  one  who  Las 
fowls  should  provide.  Fine  road  dust,  coal  ashes,  sand, 
pulverized  loam  or  clay  even,  are  all  very  good,  and 
with  a  sprinkling  of  flour  of  sulphur,  constitutes  as 
good  a  bath  as  can  be  desired.  This  should  be  placed 
in  a  sunny  exposure  of  the  room  and  kept  dry  and 
clean  so  that  the  fowls  may  enjoy  its  benefits  when  they 
choose. 

When  poultry  is  kept  in  a  yard,  it  is  best  to  dig  up 
a  small  corner  occasionally,  to  let  them  hunt  for  worms 
and  beetles,  and  then  sow  it  in  oats,  and  corn  and 
lettuce.  They  also  want  a  dusting  place.  A  box  of 
ashes  with  sulphur  intermixed  is  what  they  need  for 
this. 

Clipping  "Wings. 

Clipping  one  wing  of  fowls  to  prevent  their  flying  is 
a  necessary  operation  sometimes,  but  never  necessarily 
disfiguring.  It  generally  is,  however,  since  the  farmer's 
shears  almost  always  makes  a  clean  sweep  of  all  the 
quills,  and  an  ugly  wing  is  the  result.  Besides  the  ug- 
liness, there  are  also  other  disadvantages  in  such  a 
sweeping  operation.  A  sitting  hen  uses  the  outer  end 
of  her  wing  to  retain  the  eggs  under  her  in  place,  and 
those  near  the  body  protect  the  skin  being  torn  by  her 
mate's  claws.  The  proper  way  is  only  to  trim  the 
feathers  partly  off  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  except  about 
one  inch  at  the  end.  It  shows  but  little  when  the  wing 
is  closed,  and  does  not  disfigure  the  fowl,  but  lets  the 
wind  through,  so  as  to  prevent  flying. 


58 


Breeding  and  Mating. 
Too  many  fanciers  and  farmers,  otherwise  earnest  in 
their  business,  are  very  careless  concerning  their  fowls. 
Interbreeding  certainly  degenerates — particularly  when 
so  promiscuously  permitted  in  a  flock  as  is  common. 
There  are  the  same  good  reasons  for  making  choice  of 
the  best  bred  fowls  as  for  making  the  same  choice  in 
other  stock.  For,  while  a  prime  breed  is  as  easily 
reared,  fed  and  housed  as  a  poorer  one,  there  is  a  de- 
cided difference  in  the  returns  in  favor  of  the  former. 
If  properly  cared  for,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
fowls  of  superior  order  do  yield  the  farmer  even,  the 
largest  interest  for  the  outlay  he  makes,  of  any  other 
stock  he  keeps. 

Food  for  Sitting  Hens. 
The  requirements  of  a  sitter  differ  from  those  of 
other  hens.  By  their  keeping  quiet  and  without  exer. 
cise,  not  much  is  required  to  sustain  vitality,  and  that 
should  be  of  such  a  nature  as  to  digest  slowly.  For 
this  reason  whole  grain  is  preferred,  and  corn  is 
thought  to  be  much  the  best.  Soft  food  of  any  kind 
is  soon  digested,  and  the  hen  either  leaves  her  nest  very 
frequently  or  becomes  very  poor.  The  advantage  of 
corn  over  other  grain  is  that  it  is  more  oleaginous  and 
so  likely  to  stimulate  the  production  of  eggs,  and  being 
hard  and  compact  it  digests  more  slowly  than  other 
grain.  A  run  upon  the  grass  is  also  beneficial  to  sit- 
ting hens.     Meat  should  be  avoided. 

Turnips  for  Hens. 
In  order  that  to  keep  fowls  in  the  best  condition, 
green  food  is  always  important.     With  free  range  in 


59 

warm  weather,  grass,  etc.,  supplies  tliis  need,  but  in 
winter  it  must  be  furnished  daily,  and  nothing  is  better 
than  raw  turnips,  which  can  be  cut  open  and  fastened 
in  a  rack,  or  chopped  fine  and  fed  in  a  trough.  They 
will  leave  cabbage  and  "go  for"  turnips  every  time. 
Asiatics  seem  to  consume  more  green  food  than  the 
smaller  breeds.  It  is  even  surprising  how  much  they 
will  eat  of  it,  if  given  a  full  supply.  A  mixture  of 
turnips,  apples,  and  onions,  chopped  fine,  is  a  savory 
mess. 

The  Number  of  Hens  to  a  Rooster. 

Houdans,  ten  hens  to  one  rooster ;  Creve-Coeurs,  eight 
hens  to  one  rooster;  Buff  Cochins,  ten  hens  to  one 
rooster  ;  Gray  Dorkings,  ten  hens  to  one  rooster ;  White 
Leghorns,  fourteen  hens  to  one  rooster ;  Spanish, 
twelve  hens  to  one  rooster ;  Brahmas,  ten  hens  to  one 
rooster ;  Hamburgs,  fourteen  hens  to  one  rooster  ;  Po- 
lands,  twelve  hens  to  one  rooster ;  Game,  ten  hens  to 
one  rooster.  With  this  proportion  of  hens  to  a  rooster 
the  vitaHty  of  the  eggs  will  prove  good. 

Poultry  Manure. 

Poultry  manure,  or  hon  guano,  is  worth,  if  kept  under 
cover,  almost  as  much  in  price  as  Pacific  guano,  which 
is  selling  at  $60  per  ton.  Hen  manure,  on  the  garden 
or  farm  is  worth  $50  per  ton.  To  prepare  it  for  use, 
mix  it  with  soil,  haK  and  half ;  keep  it  till  wanted. 
For  corn,  onions,  and  all  vegetables,  it  is  one  of  the 
best  manures.  No  farmer,  who  wants  to  make  his  farm 
pay,  should  sell  it  for  twenty  cents  a  bushel.  It  ia 
worth  a  dollar  for  his  own  use. 


60 


Keeping  Ecgs  for  "Winter  Use. 

To  four  gallons  of  boiling  water  add  half  a  peck  of 
new  lime,  stirring  it  some  little  time.  When  cold  re- 
move any  hard  lumps  with  a  coarse  sieve ;  add  ten 
ounces  of  salt  and  three  ounces  of  cream  of  tartar,  and 
mix  the  whole  thoroughly.  The  mixture  is  then  to 
stand  for  a  fortnight  before  using.  After  immersing 
the  eggs  pack  them  as  closely  as  possible.  Thus  treated, 
if  put  in  when  new  laid,  at  nine  months  they  will  eat 
nearly  as  good  as  though  laid  only  six  days,  though  of 
course  not  like  new-\siid. 

A  better  but  a  little  more  expensive  way  of  preserv- 
ing eggs  is  recommended  by  the  French  :  In  eight 
ounces  of  warm  olive  oil  dissolve  four  ounces  of  bees- 
wax ;  with  this  mixture  annoint  the  egg  all  round,  using 
the  tips  of  the  fingers  or  a  rag.  The  oil  will  be  ab- 
sorbed by  the  shell  and  the  pores  filled  up  by  the  wax, 
and  if  kept  in  a  cool  place,  the  eggs  after  two  years  will 
be  as  good  as  if  fresh. 

G-ravel  for  Fowls. 
Granivorous  fowls  need  the  assistance  of  hard  sub- 
stances, such  as  stones,  gravel,  etc.,  to  digest  the  food 
upon  which  they  live.  This  they  are  able  to  obtain  for 
themselves,  in  most  localities,  at  all  seasons  except  in 
winter,  or  when  confined  in  limited  quarters.  At  such 
times  they  must  be  supplied  with  a  liberal  quantity  of 
clean,  sharp  gravel,  or  coarse  sand.  Young  fowls  of 
all  kinds  should  have  fine  gravel  or  coarse  sand  con- 
stantly within  their  reach,  of  a  size  adapted  to  the 
capacity  of  their  throats. 


61 


How  to  Fatten  and  Dress  Poultry  for  the  Market. 

Although  the  manner  of  fattening  poultry  may  seem 
plain,  yet  there  is,  nevertheless,  a  right  and  a  wrong 
way,  a  long  and  a  short  mode  of  accomphshing  the 
object  desired. 

Never  let  poultry  forage  and  shift  for  themselves  for 
at  least  ten  days  before  killing,  for  they  are  apt  to  range 
in  the  barn-yards  and  pick  up  filthy  food,  which  perme- 
ates all  through  the  bird,  its  flesh  frequently  becoming 
so  tainted,  that  it  is  unfit  to  be  eaten. 

The  best  method  for  steady  and  regular  profit,  or  for 
domestic  use,  is  to  keep  them  constantly  in  high  feed 
from  the  beginning,  with  plenty  of  clean,  cool  water ; 
then  they  are  always  ready  for  the  table,  with  but  very 
little  extra  attention,  their  flesh  will  be  jucier  and  richer 
in  flavor  than  those  fattened  from  a  low  and  emaciated 
staltf,  always  commanding  quick  sale,  at  the  highest 
price  in  the  market,  a  healthful,  nourishing  and  restor- 
ative food. 

Some  "cram"  their  poultry  before  killing,  to  make 
it  appear  heavy ;  this  is  a  most  injudicious  plan,  as  it 
shows  at  a  glance  the  dishonest  intention  of  the  shipper 
to  benefit  himself  and  swindle  others,  in  his  poor  effort 
to  obtain  the  price  of  poultry,  for  corn  ;  the  undigested 
food  soon  enters  into  fermentation,  and  putrefaction 
takes  place,  injuring  their  sale  a  great  deal  more  than 
is  gained  in  weight.  Fowls  should  always  be  allowed 
to  remain  in  their  coops  at  least  twenty-four  hours  pre- 
vious to  being  killed,  without  food,  then  they  will  keep 
longer,  and  present  a  better  appearance. 

The  best  food  for  fattening  fowls,  old  or  young,  is 
barley  meal,  or  mixed  with  equal  quantities  of  corn 
meal,  cooked,  and  fed  warm  (a  small  quantity  of  brick 
6 


62 

dust  in  their  drinking  water  is  recommended),  which 
will  make  flesh  faster,  and  more  solid,  giving  it  a  fine 
golden  color  after  being  dressed.  Good  food  is  positive 
economy. 

The  best  mode  for  killing  poultry,  as  it  causes  instant 
death  without  pain  or  disfigurement,  is  to  suspend  the 
birds  by  tying  their  legs  firmly  to  a  pole  or  heavy  wire 
across  the  killing  room,  a  convenient  distance  from  the 
floor,  and  opening  the  fowl's  beak,  and  with  a  sharp- 
pointed  and  narrow-bladed  knife,  make  an  incision  at 
the  back  of  the  roof,  which  will  divide  the  vertebrae 
and  cause  immediate  death. 

Dry-pluck  the  feathers  and  pin-feathers  all  off  neat 
and  clean,  while  warm,  without  breaking  the  skin  ;  thf'.n 
plunge  it  into  a  kettle  of  very  hot  water,  holding  it 
there  only  long  enough  for  the  bird  to  "plump,"  ihisn 
hang  it  up — turkeys  and  chickens  by  the  legs,  and 
ducks  and  geese  by  the  heads.  Do  not  remove  the  en- 
trails, heads  or  feet.  This  mode  gives  the  poultry  a 
nice  buttery,  golden  color,  that  attracts  the  eye  of  the 
epicure. 

Pack  only  when  thoroughly  dry  and  cold  (not  frozen) 
in  medium  sized,  clean  boxes  or  barrels,  in  thoroughly 
cleaned  and  dusted  rye  straw,  and  to  be  extra  nice, 
wrap  each  bird  in  clean,  white  (not  printed)  paper, 
fold  the  head  under  its  body,  legs  stretched  out,  lay  in 
the  left  hand  corner,  with  its  head  toward  the  end  of 
the  box,  back  up,  fill  the  first  row,  then  commence  the 
second  in  the  same  way,  only  let  the  bird's  head  pass 
up  between  the  rumps  of  the  two  adjoining  ones;  this 
makes  it  solid  ;  the  last  row  reverse  the  order,  placing 
the  head  towards  the  end  of  the  box,  letting  the  feet 
pass  under  each  other  ;  should  there  be  space  between 
these  rows  wide  enough  to  lay  in  a  few  side-wise,  do  so ; 


63 

if  not,  fill  in  tight  with  straw,  so  the  poultry  cannot 
move.  This  gives  uniformity  of  appearance  and  a  firm- 
ness that  will  prevent  moving  or  chafing  during  trans- 
portation ;  over  this  layer  place  straw  enough  to  pre- 
vent one  layer  from  coming  in  contact  with  the  other, 
and  add  other  layers  until  the  box  is  filled  full.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  in  packing  not  to  break  the  skin, 
for  during  transportation  such  places  turn  black  and 
injure  its  sale. 


DISEASES   AND    THEIR    CURE. 

Every  one  a  Doctor  for  Ms  own  rov7ls. 


Usually  when  fowls  take  cold,  inflammation  of  the 
Lead  and  eyes  is  one  of  the  first  symptoms  to  attract 
attention.  If  allowed  to  suffer  from  neglect  and  con- 
tinued exposure,  the  trouble  speedily  runs  into  what  is 
termed  roup,  or  swelled  head,  and  is  often  accom- 
panied with  canker  or  ulcerated  sore  throat.  In  the 
last  mentioned  condition  ratthng  in  the  throat  often 
occurs. 

Fowls  are,  however,  sometimes  troubled  with  diffi- 
culty in  breathing  and  a  rattling  in  the  throat,  as  the 
result  of  atmospheric  changes,  and  in  such  cases  the 
affection  is  similar  to  bronchitis.  While  not  considered 
very  dangerous,  there  seems  as  yet  to  be  no  certain 
cure  for  it,  and  since  it  is  not  contagious  we  seldom 
give  it  much  attention.  The  rattling,  or  gaping  or 
wheezing,  which  comes  from  cankered  throat  and 
mouth,  is  a  very  different  thing,  and  should  be  looked 
after  immediately. 

A  breeder,  whose  fowls  are  evidently  suffering  from 
the  results  of  colds,  writes  thus:    "My  chickens  are 


65 

afflicted  with  a  blindness  and  inflammation  of  the  eyess* 
The  eyes  close  up  and  there  is  a  rattling  in  the  throat 
part  of  the  time  when  they  breathe.  What  is  the  dis- 
ease, and  what  is  the  remedy  ?" 

The  bhndness  and  inflammation  of  the  eyes  can 
generally  be  easily  cured  if  attended  to  promptly.  The 
Fancier  s  Gazette^  of  England,  recommends  to  bathe 
the  head  and  eyes  with  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  zink, 
five  grains  to  the  ounce  of  water.  Chlorinated  soda, 
which  you  can  get  at  any  good  chemist's,  is  also  sug- 
gested. Carbohc  acid,  one  part  acid  to  forty  parts 
water,  is  another  remedy  often  mentioned,  and  acetic 
acid  is  likewise  highly  spoken  of. 

A  general  observation  and  experience  in  the  treat- 
ment of  such  cases,  is  that  diluted  vinegar  and  common 
salt  water  combined,  make  the  best,  and  most  readily 
procured  remedy  we  have  met  with.  Chlorinated  soda 
and  acetic  acid  are  only  learned  names  for  substances, 
the  properties  of  which  we  have  in  as  available  a  form 
in  the  simple  and  well  known  articles  of  common  salt 
and  vinegar. 

In  a  case  of  inflammation,  as  above  mentioned,  the 
head  and  eyes  should  be  bathed  several  times  each  day 
with  the  solution  of  salt  and  vinegar.  Open  the  mouth 
and  you  will  most  likely  find  a  yellowish,  cheesy  sub- 
stance in  the  slit  in  the  roof  of  the  mouth.  This  should 
be  carefully  removed  with  a  quill  or  pointed  stick.  A 
fiat  piece  of  good  hickory,  four  inches  long  and  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  wide,  and  as  thick  as  a  case  knife, 
roundly  pointed  at  one  end,  makes  a  good  instrument 
for  such  work.  If  the  cheesy  matter  has  not  yet 
formed  in  the  head,  you  will  at  least  find  in  the  roof  o/ 
the  mouth  a  shmy  discharge,  similar  to  that  which 
comes  from  the  nostrils  of  the  bird.     This  should  be 

6p 


66 

removed  as  well  as  possible  with  a  sponge  or  soft  rag. 
Then  tie  to  the  end  of  a  small  stick  a  piece  of  sponge 
saturated  with  the  salt  water  and  vinegar,  and  with  thif 
sponge  out  the  mouth  well,  and  force  some  of  the  wash 
through  the  slit  in  the  roof  of  the  mouth.  It  is  con- 
venient to  have  for  this  purpose  a  small  syringe  with  a 
bent  tube.  The  face  and  nostrils  should  also  be  well 
bathed  with  the  salt  and  vinegar,  and  no  harm  need  be 
feared  from  getting  the  wash  into  the  eyes.  This  will 
be  a  benefit  rather  than  an  injury. 

The  diet  of  the  fowl  should  be  soft  food.  Soaked 
bread  is  good,  seasoned  with  pepper.  In  the  drinking 
water  should  be  dissolved  a  little  sulphate  of  iron. 
Stimulating  foods  and  tonic  drinks  are  of  great  benefit 
in  such  cases.  If  no  more  serious  symptoms  appear, 
your  bird  may  be  expected  to  recover  in  a  short  time. 

Cankered  throat  may  accompany  a  severe  cold  as 
well  as  roup  in  its  worst  stages.  If  on  opening  the 
mouth  of  a  bird  you  find  it  badly  coated  or  ulcerated, 
the  tongue  covered  and  the  ulcers  extending  down  the 
throat,  you  had  better  give  the  case  up  as  hopeless.  If 
the  ulcers  appear  only  in  small  spots  and  streaks,  and 
the  tongue  is  clean,  or  nearly  so,  it  is  worth  while  to 
attempt  a  cure,  provided  the  bird  is  worth  the  extra 
daily  attention  it  will  require.  The  course  to  be  pur- 
sued is  to  take  a  stick,  such  as  that  above  described, 
wet  it  well  with  the  salt  water  and  vinegar — the  solution 
for  this  purpose  may  be  as  strong  as  it  can  be  made — 
and  then  proceed  to  remove  with  the  point  all  the  ulcers 
from  the  roof  and  sides  of  the  mouth  and  about  the 
base  of  the  tongue ;  in  fact  all  you  find.  Do  not  be 
uneasy  about  the  bleeding,  as  no  harm  will  come  of  it, 
but  rather  good.  Wet  the  stick  frequently  with  the 
salt  water  and  vinegar  in  order  that  as  fast  as  the  ulcers 


67 

are  removed  tlie  solution  may  immediately  come  to  the 
exposed  parts,  thus  causing  them  to  heal  and  prevent- 
ing the  spread  of  the  disease.  Having  carefully  done 
all  you  can  at  one  time  in  this  way,  give  the  inside  of 
the  mouth  a  good  sponging  with  the  wash,  and  if  the 
fowl  seems  to  require  food,  but  is  unable  from  the 
soreness  of  its  mouth  to  take  it,  some  should  be  forced 
down  its  throat.  The  like  course  should  be  gone 
through  with  the  next  day  and  the  following,  until  the 
ulcers  are  entirely  killed  out  and  removed.  In  the 
meantime  the  fowl  should  be  given  easily  digested  and 
stimulating  food  and  tonic  drink  as  above  recom- 
mended. 

In  some  cases  small  pustules  appear  on  the  sides  of 
the  head  and  the  wattles  and  the  ear  lobes.  The  salt 
and  vinegar  will  be  found  to  be  a  good  remedy  for  these 
also.  Remove  the  scales  and  bathe  the  parts  freely 
with  the  solution,  repeating  the  operation  once  or  twice 
each  day.  What  is  commonly  termed  swelled  head  is 
but  an  advanced  stage  of  roup.  The  secretions  seem 
to  concentrate,  settle  or  consolidate,  as  it  were,  at  some 
one  point,  frequently  on  the  face  beneath  the  eye,  yet 
seldom  so  deeply  seated  but  that  the  accumulations 
may  be  reached  and  easily  removed  with  the  knife. 
Sometimes  a  mass  of  yellow,  cheesy  matter  as  large  as 
a  thimble  will  have  formed  at  one  place.  It  should  be 
taken  out  and  the  wound  bathed  with  salt  and  vinegar. 
Nature  will  soon  heal  over  the  frightful  looking  cut  if 
the  work  of  cleansing  has  been  well  done. 

About  30  per  cent,  of  hens  are  lost  annually  by  dia 
eases  of  every  kinds  so  that  I  think  a  few  simple  reme- 
dies for  some  of  the  most  common,  will  be  appreciated 
by  my  readers,  and  I  therefore  give  them  without  fur- 
ther explanation,  under  their  most  common  names  as 


68 

quoted  by  fancy  breeders.  These  receipts  have  been 
taken  from  the  most  trustworthy  books  and  journals 
and  are  known  to  the  breeders  as  reliable. 

Abortion. 
Generally  produced  by  fright.  The  remedy  is  to  con- 
fine the  bird  in  a  rather  dark  pen,  with  a  nest  in  one 
corner.  Soft  food  only  should  be  used,  given  sparingly. 
The  drinking  water  should  be  impregnated  with  a  small 
amount  of  carbonate  of  soda.  Tliis  disease  must  not 
be  confounded  with  the  ordinary  laying  of  soft  eggs. 

Apoplexy  or  Paralysis. 

More  probably  arising  from  high  feeding  than  any 
other  cause.  An  unsteady  walk  with  drooping  wingu, 
as  if  the  bird  were  giddy,  is  a  warning  symptom.  Fast- 
ing and  a  dose  of  fifteen  grains  jalap  and  one  grain  (if 
calomel  will  be  found  very  useful,  with  continued  low 
diet  for  two  or  three  days.  In  cases  of  sudden  attacks, 
with  loss  of  power  and  conciousness,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  lance  immediately  the  large  vein  under  the 
wing,  and  to  bleed  freely  until  the  bird  recovers.  Stop 
the  flow  of  blood  by  means  of  burnt  alum  or  other 
styptic,  and  take  care  that  the  fowl  is  not  allowed  to 
peck  open  the  wound  and  cause  death  from  hemorrhage. 
Cold  water  applied  to  the  head  is  often  of  beneficial 
effect.  Fortunately  these  diseases  are  both  of  infre- 
quent occurrence. 

Black  Rot, 
Also  rarely  to  be  met  with  and  only  to  be  cured  in 
the  earlier  stages.     Symptoms,  blackening  of  the  comb 
and  swelling  of  the  legs  and  feet,  accompanied  with 


69 

gradual  emaciation.  Treatment  is  a  dose  of  calomel 
or  castor  oil,  with  warm  and  nourishing  diet,  together 
with  the  use  of  "Parrish's  Chemical  Food,"  or  Tonio 
No.  4. 

Bronchitis. 

Known  by  the  frequent  coughing,  unaccompanied  by 
discharge,  as  in  the  case  of  cold  in  the  head.  A  small 
quantity  of  nitric  and  sulphuric  acids  in  the  drinking 
water,  with  sugar  enough  to  make  the  whole  sHghtly 
sweet  and  acid  to  the  taste,  is  all  that  is  required. 
The  food  may  be  seasoned  with  a  Httle  cayenne  or  gin- 
ger, and  the  fowl  should  be  kept  in  a  dry  place,  moder- 
ately warm.  Sometimes  the  disease  is  accompanied  by 
a  peculiar  rattling  in  the  throat.  The  homeopathic 
cure  is  two  pellets  of  aconite  in  the  morning  before 
feeding,  and  the  same  in  the  evening,  for  two  or  three 
days.     This  is  said  to  be  a  specific. 

Bumble  Foot. 

A  corn  or  abscess  at  the  bottom  of  the  foot,  most  fre- 
quently found  in  the  larger  breeds,  and  is  supposed  to 
be  caused  by  descent  from  the  perches  to  a  hard  board 
floor.  Daily  applications  of  lunar  caustic,  or  pigment 
of  iodine  painted  over  the  spot  with  a  brush,  will  often 
effect  a  cure.  The  tumor  should  afterwards  be  cut  and 
the  matter  pressed  out,  the  part  thoroughly  cleansed 
with  warm  water,  and  in  a  day  or  two  the  caustic  ap- 
plied as  before.  One  ounce  of  muriate  of  amonia  dis- 
solved in  a  pint  of  vinegar  is  very  useful  in  reducing 
the  swelling.  The  bird  should  be  compelled  to  sleep 
on  straw  during  treatment.  Another  remedy  is  to 
wash  the  foot  with  tepid  water  and  soap,  afterwards 


70 

cutting  open  the  swollen  foot  and  removing  the  putrid 
and  diseased  surface  flesh,  and  applying  sulphate  of 
copper  (blue  vitriol)  and  then  tying  up  the  foot  so  as 
to  retain  the  medicine  as  applied.  In  severe  cases  two 
or  three  applications  may  be  necessary. 

Canker  or  Ulceration. 

This  disease  bears  a  striking  analogy  to  the  roup, 
but  is  distinguishable  from  the  latter  by  a  lack  of  dis- 
charge  from  the  nostril.  It  frequently  extends  to  the 
throat,  covering  the  back  of  the  tongue  with  ulcerous 
formation.  In  such  cases  remove  the  ulcers  with  a 
sharp,  flat  stick  of  hard  wood  and  apply  with  a  camel's 
hair  brush  a  wash  of  tincture  of  myrrh,  borax  and 
chlorate  of  potash,  dissolved  in  water.  Use  powdered 
borax  afterwards  upon  the  sore.  Give  soft  food  and 
occasionally  bread  soaked  in  ale.  When  the  disease 
affects  the  eye,  use  McDougall's  Fluid  Extract  for  a 
wash,  in  the  proportion  of  one  teaspoonful  to  eight  of 
water.  As  in  the  case  of  roup,  the  diseased  fowl 
should  be  removed  to  warm,  dry  quarters,  and  the 
feathers  on  the  neck  and  head  kept  clean  by  washing 
in  warm  water.  Another  remedy  is  to  lissolve  some 
alum  in  water  and  wash  out  the  mouth,  throat,  and 
eyes  with  it,  after  which  sprinkle  burnt  alum  on  the 
sores ;  to  be  repeated  daily  until  cured. 

Cancer. 

The  first  symptoms  are  loss  of  the  use  of  the  legs, 
the  bird  squatting  about  on  its  hocks,  and  using  its 
wings  to  assist  locomotion.  There  is  no  apparent  loss 
of  appetite  or  energy,  but  absolute  loss  of  power  over 
the  legs.     The  disease  is  incurable,  as  removal  of  the 


71 

cancer  by  a  surgical  operation,  only  results  fatally  in  a 
week  or  so  thereafter.  When  it  is  apparent  that  the 
disease  has  become  seated,  the  most  humane  treatment 
for  the  breeder  is  to  kill  it. 

Cholera. 

If  there  is  a  disease  among  fowl  resulting  more  par- 
ticularly from  carelessness  or  ignorance  than  any  other, 
it  is  the  fatal  disease  known  as  the  Cholera.  All  writ- 
ers on  the  subject  agree  that  it  arises  from  exposure  to 
the  sun,  without  sufficient  shade,  warm  and  stale  drink- 
ing water,  foul  and  offensive  grass  runs  occasioned  by 
the  droppings,  and  most  important  of  all,  the  absence 
of  a  regular  supply  of  fresh  green  food,  which  is  the 
great  preventive  of  diarrhoea  in  fowls.  This  disease 
is  rarely  if  ever  known  where  a  cool  shade,  clean  runs, 
fresh  cool  water  and  green  food  are  provided  daily. 

Symptoms  — Sudden  and  violent  thirst,  diarrhoea, 
greenish  droppings,  afterwards  thin  and  whitish,  with 
extreme  weakness  and  staggering  or  "faUing  about," 
sometimes  accompanied  with  cramps,  and  often  with 
an  "anxious"  look  about  the  face.  Death  results  in 
from  12  to  36  hours. 

Treatment — Administer  every  three  hours  the  follow- 
ing :  Rhubarb,  5  grains  ;  cayenne  pepper,  2  grains ; 
laudanum,  10  drops.  Give  midway  between  each  dose 
a  teaspoonful  of  brandy  diluted  with  water  containing 
5  drops  of  McDougaH's  Fluid  Extract,  or  either  of  the 
the  following: 

No.  1. — Equal  parts  of  the  tincture  of  opium,  red 
pepper,  rhubarb,  peppermint  and  camphor,  well  shaken, 
with  doses  increased  from  ten  to  twenty  drops  several 
times  a  day  when  not  immediately  relieved. 


72 

j^o.  2. — Two  oz.  each  of  alum,  resin,  copperas,  lao 
sulphur  and  cayenne  pepper ;  pulverize,  then  mix 
three  table-spoonsful  of  the  powder  with  one  quart  of 
corn  meal,  and  dampen  for  use.  This  is  sufficient  for 
twelve  fowls,  and  may  be  used  either  as  a  preventive 
id!  cure.  For  the  former,  once  or  twice  a  week  is  suffi- 
ident.  Eye  or  wheat,  soaked  well  in  highwines  or 
otrong  whisky,  fed  occasionally,  is  also  said  to  be  a 
good  preventive. 

No.  3 — Blue  mass  and  cayenne  pepper,  each  1  oz. ; 
camphor  gum  J  oz.,  and  a  teaspoonful  of  laudanum, 
well  mixed  and  made  into  pills  of  oidinary  size.  Give 
one  pill  every  hour  until  the  purging  ceases;  Also  a 
teasponful  of  brandy  morning  and  evening. 

No.  4.— Cayenne  pepper  and  prepared  chalk,  ea.ch  2 
parts ;  pulverized  gentian  and  pulverized  charcoal,  each 
1  part  (measurement,  not  weight) ;  mix  well  together 
and  form  a  paste,  with  either  lard  or  sheep's  suet. 
Give  a  pill  the  size  of  a  common  marble  once  a  day, 
and  keep  in  a  warm  and  dry  place  forty-eight  hours. 

No.  5. — Carbolic  acid,  1  drachm  ;  glycerine,  1  oz. ; 
mix  thoroughly,  adding  one  qaart  of  water.  Of  this 
solution  use  two  tablespoonsful  to  a  gallon  of  water, 
allowing  the  fowl  access  to  no  other  water. 

The  fountains  and  feed  boxes  should  be  disinfected 
with  carbolate  of  lime  or  carbolic  acid.  The  water 
must  be  kept  cool,  plenty  of  shade  provided,  and  the 
free  use  of  green  food  indulged  in,  for  those  not  at- 
tacked. No  food  or  water  with  the  exception  of  soft 
or  moistened  wheat  bread  in  warm  milk  is  needed  for 
the  diseased  birds. 

The  use  of  kerosene  in  this  disease  has  lately 
attracted  some  attention,  and  elsewhere  we  present  a 


73 

newspaper  article  on  the  curative  qualities  of  this  oLL 
It  is  said  to  be  very  efficacious. 

Cattarrh. 

A  common  cold,  if  neglected,  is  likely  to  terminate 
in  roup.  The  bird  should  be  immediately  removed  to 
a  warm  place.  Three  drops  of  mother  tincture  of  aco- 
nite added  to  haK  a  pint  of  the  drinking  water  will  be 
found  beneficial.  The  food  should  be  soft,  mixed  warm, 
and  seasoned  with  Tonic  No.  1. 

One  pill  of  the  following,  given  night  and  morning, 
is  also  highly  recommended  :  \  oz.  each  of  camphor, 
valerian,  cayenne  pepper,  lobelia  seed  powder,  and  gum 
myrrh,  made  into  forty-eight  pills.  If  not  better  in  a 
few  days,  roup  may  be  suspected,  and  the  treatment 
should  be  the  same  as  for  that  disease. 

Consumption. 

Caused  by  cold  or  dampness,  want  of  light  and  con- 
stitutional debility.  Most  frequently  observed  in  birds 
related.  The  symptoms  are  chronic  cough,  with  wasting 
away  and  loss  of  strength.  Incurable  when  once  fairly 
seated.  Where  its  presence  is  suspected,  cod  liver  oi] 
added  to  the  meal  food  is  a  corrective,  together  with 
"Parrish's  Chemical  Food,"  half  a  teaspoonful,  twice 
a  day. 

Cramp. 

Early  chickens  are  most  subject  to  this  disease, 
caused  by  exposure  to  damp  during  cold  weather.  It 
may  be  known  bv  a  tendency  to  walk  on  the  toes,  and 
afterwards  on  the  knuckles  or  outside  of  the  foot.  Also 
by  squatting  on  the  hock.  Eemoval  to  a  place  pro- 
vided with  a  dry  boarded  floor,  well  sanded  and  kept 
7 


u 

clean,  is  usually  sufficient.  In  severe  cases,  wheiie  the 
toes  are  much  contracted,  the  legs  and  feet  should  be 
bathed  in  warm  water  several  times  daily,  opening  and 
extending  the  toes,  and  afterwards  drying  them  with  a 
cloth.  A  little  tonic  should  be  added  to  the  food. 
Opium  in  quarter  grain  doses  two  or  three  times  daily 
will  prove  beneficial  in  the  treatment  of  this  disease. 

Crop  Bound. 
Occasioned  by  careless  feeding  with  hard  grain  or 
pieces  of  tough  meat,  bone,  or  other  substance  too 
targe  for  the  bird  to  swallow,  causing  the  crop  to  be  so 
distended  and  swelled  as  to  close  the  outlet  to  the 
stomach.  Warm  water  should  be  poured  down  the 
throat,  and  the  crop  gently  kneaded  or  worked  for  an 
hour,  if  necessary,  until  it  becomes  soft,  holding  the 
bill  open  and  the  head  down.  Then  give  a  tablespoon- 
ful  of  castor  oil  and  feed  sparingly  for  several  days  to 
prevent  a  permanent  distension.  If  this  is  not  effective, 
an  incision  about  an  inch  long  should  be  made  at  the 
top  of  the  crop,  first  removing  some  of  the  feathers, 
and  care  being  taken  not  to  open  any  of  the  large  blood 
vessels.  The  contents  of  the  crop  should  then  be  re- 
moved and  the  outlet  examined  to  see  that  it  is  not 
stopped  up.  The  incision  may  be  closed  by  making 
three  or  four  stitches  with  silk  or  horse-hair  in  the  inner 
skin,  and  the  same  in  the  outer.  Be  careful  not  to  sew 
the  two  skins  together,  as  it  is  almost  certainly  fatal 
Feed  on  soft  or  sopped  bread,  and  allow  no  water  for 
24  hours  after  the  operation. 

Crop  Soft  or  Swelled. 
Usually  caused  by  excessive  drinking,  and  the  con- 


75 

tents  of  the  crop  are  of  a  soft,  fluid  character.  Confine 
the  bird  separately,  and  feed  sparingly  with  soft  food, 
thoroughly  cooked.  The  water  should  be  slightly 
acidulated  with  nitric  acid,  of  which  the  bird  should  be 
allowed  to  drink  very  moderately  after  each  meal  only. 
The  food  should  be  seasoned  with  Tonic  No.  4,  and  half 
a  teaspoonful  of  sal  volatile  given  every  morning,  in 
double  the  quantity  of  water.  Chopped  onions  or  gar- 
lic is  the  best  green  food  during  treatment,  having 
themselves  a  strong  remedial  effect.  It  is  to  be  very 
much  doubted  whether  the  distended  crop  resulting 
from  neghgence  in  feeding  after  treatment  for  "crop 
bound"  can  ever  be  successfully  removed.  The  two 
disfigurements  being  similar  in  appearance,  are  apt  to 
be  confounded.  The  one  resulting  from  excessive 
drinking  is  properly  a  disease  not  so  fatal  as  the  hard 
crop,  but  nevertheless  sufficiently  dangerous  to  excite 
apprehension,  while  the  other,  beyond  being  unsightly^ 
causes  httle  injury  to  the  bird. 

Dysentery. 

This  disease  is  really  chronic  diarrhoea,  the  droppings 
being  mingled  with  blood.  Barely  cured,  and  evidently 
contagious.  The  diseased  birds  should  be  removed  to 
a  cool  place  and  the  cholera  remedy  applied.  Five 
drops  of  laudanum  and  ^Ye  drops  of  "McDougall's 
Fluid  Extract,"  every  three  hours,  has  also  proved  to 
be  efficacious.  A  teaspoonful  of  strong  cinnamon  tea 
every  hour  should  be  given  instead  of  water.  The 
carcass,  in  case  of  death,  should  be  buried  deeply,  away 
from  the  yards,  and  the  latter  should  be  thoroughly 
disinfected. 


76 


Debility. 
Sudden  terror  or  prostration  from  a  long  journey  and 
excitement  attendant  on  exhibition,  often  occasions 
fowls  to  droop  without  any  apparent  positive  disease. 
In  such  cases  nothing  is  better  for  restoring  strength 
than  a  raw  fresh  laid  egg  daily.  Strong  tonics  are  not 
advisable  but  the  usual  modicum  of  the  "Douglas 
Mixture "  given  every  third  day  in  the  drink  will  prove 
an  invaluable  aid. 

Diarrhoea 

Is  usually  caused  by  too  sudden  changes  of  food,  and 
sometimes  the  weather.  In  its  earliest  stages  it  may 
easily  be  checked  by  feeding  soft  food  cooked  with 
milk  and  mixed  with  chalk  or  seasoned  with  pulverized 
cinnamon,  or  by  giving  camphorated  spirits,  or  water, 
every  four  to  six  hours,  in  doses  of  10  to  20  drops 
according  to  severity,  and  feed  nothing  green  except  it 
be  fresh  grass,  in  limited  quantities.  Tegetmeier's 
recipe,  given  years  ago,  has  had  some  favor,  viz :  5 
grains  chalk,  5  grains  rhubarb,  and  three  grains  of 
cayenne  pepper  made  into  pills.  But  if  the  case  is  one 
of  severity  one  teaspoonful  of  laudanum  every  six  hourd 
should  be  given  until  reheved.  With  proper  and  judi- 
cious feeding,  plenty  of  fresh  water,  cleanliness  and  a 
plentiful  supply  of  lime,  oyster  shells,  or  broken  or 
gi'ound  bones,  and  a  free  use  of  the  "Douglas  Mix- 
ture," there  need  be  but  little  fear  of  any  serious 
results. 

Egg  Bound. 
Inability  to  lay  on  account  of  unusual  size  of  egg, 
may  be  known  by  the  hen  coming  off  the  nest  and 


77 

moping  around  in  evident  distress,  with  wings  on  the 
ground  ;  sometimes  she  remains  on  the  nest.  A  larg« 
dose  of  castor  oil  will  generally  give  relief  in  a  few 
hours.  Failing  in  this  a  free  injection  of  olive  oil  into 
the  oviduct  may  be  used,  care  being  taken  not  to  break 
the  egg.  If  no  syringe  is  at  hand  the  oil  may  be  passed 
up  with  a  feather,  having  first  bathed  the  vent  with 
warm  water.  The  food  should  be  soft  and  not  of  a 
stimulating  nature.  In  case  the  egg  passage  should 
protrude  or  become  ruptured,  egg  production  should  be 
totally  arrested  by  giving  the  following  :  One  grain 
calomel,  one  tweKth  of  a  grain  of  tartar  emetic  and  a 
quarter  of  a  grain  of  opium,  made  into  a  pill,  and  ad- 
ministered every  four  hours.  In  the  first  pill  the  quan- 
tity of  calomel  and  opium  may  be  doubled. 

Elephantiasis  or  Scaly  Legs. 

A  rough  scurf  on  the  legs  and  toes  of  a  horny  sub- 
stapce,  resembling  scales.  Not  dangerous  but  very 
unsightly,  and  some  strains  are  more  predisposed  to 
this  disease  than  others.  It  is  considered  by  some  to 
be  also  slightly  contagious.  Different  opinions  exis^ 
as  to  its  origin,  but  the  treatment  is  simple  and  effec- 
tive. The  diseased  fowl  should  be  provided  with  a  dry 
and  moderately  warm  shelter,  and  a  vigorous  scrubbing 
with  soap  and  warm  water,  with  a  hard  brush  will  re- 
move a  great  deal  of  the  scuff.  Then  anoint  the  affected 
parts  with  sulphur  and  lard,  and  give  half  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  powdered  sulpliur  internally.  The  washing  and 
anointing  must  be  continued  daily  until  a  cure  is 
effected.  Three  or  four  applications  daily  of  kerosene 
oil  is  also  recommended  as  a  wash,  and  the  slackened 
scales  removed  with  a  blunt  knife,  after  which  anoint 


78 

as  above.  A  weak  solution  of  the  sugar  of  lead  is  also 
an  excellent  wash  to  be  used  in  the  morning,  followed 
in  the  evening  by  an  application  of  lard,  mixed  with 
ointment  of  creosote.  It  is  desirable  that  the  yards 
should  be  clean  and  free  from  mud,  and  the  fowl  kept 
from  exposure  to  wet  or  damp  of  any  kind. 

Emptions. 
A  whitish  scurf  or  eiHoresence  causing  the  loss  of 
feathers,  as  far  as  it  extends,  generally  results  from 
lack  of  green  food.  This  must  be  supplied  and  clean- 
liness attended  to.  The  diseased  parts  should  be 
dressed  with  tar  and  sulphur  ointment,  or  a  compound 
of  cocoanut  oil,  one  ounce,  and  powdered  tumeric, 
quarter  of  an  ounce.  A  dose  of  castor  oil  followed  t)y 
a  teaspoonful  of  powdered  sulphur  daily  in  the  food  for 
ten  days,  should  also  be  given.  If  the  sulphur  should 
tend  to  make  the  fowl  scratch  or  irritate  the  head  be- 
fcr3  a  cure  is  effected,  the  parts  should  be  dressed  for 
a  few  days  with  McDougaU's  Fluid  Extract,  diluted 
with  three  parts  of  water.  As  this  affection  is  conta- 
gious, it  is  necessary  to  isolate  the  affected  fowl. 

Feather  Eating.  . 
This  unnatural  appetite,  generally  observed  in  the 
hen,  is  a  source  of  great  annoyance.  It  is  probably 
the  result  of  thirst,  and  also  a  want  of  exercise  conse- 
quent upon  close  confinement.  There  seem  to  be  no 
specific  for  this  disgusting  practice,  as  remedies  which 
have  cured  in  one  instance  have  utterly  failed  in 
another.  Indeed,  it  may  be  a  question  whether  the 
cures  which  have  supposed  to  result  from  the  giving  of 
remedies,  have  not  rather  been  a  natural  withdrawing 


79 

of  the  disease  itself  than  otherwise.  External  applica- 
tions would  seem  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  nauseate 
the  unnatural  appetite  of  the  birds.  The  stumps  of 
feathers  should  be  extracted,  and  all  the  parts  attached 
anointed  with  a  stiff  lather  of  carboHc  soap.  To  give 
the  birds  occupation  it  is  advisable  to  bury  corn  in  the 
ground,  or  hang  up  a  cabbage  or  lettuce  by  a  string 
just  within  reach  of  the  birds.  A  bran  and  linseed 
mash  twice  a  week  has  been  known  to  produce  good 
effects.  One  fourth  of  a  grain  of  acetate  of  morphia 
daily,  with  a  grain  of  calomel  twice  a  week  in  addition 
is  a  good  sedative.  The  drinking  water  should  contain 
enough  carbonate  of  potash  to  give  it  a  decided  alka- 
line taste.  Eaw  bones  crushed  small,  have  been  known 
to  effect  a  cure  and  a  sheaf  of  corn  fodder  thrown  in 
the  yards  is  said  to  be  beneficial.  It  would  be  advisa- 
ble to  seclude  a  fowl  which  manifests  a  wicked  desire 
for  this  habit  until  the  appetite  becomes  more  natural 
from  forgetfulness. 

The  Poultry  Bulletin  says  :  From  close  observation, 
we  very  much  doubt  if  it  is  the  soft,  bloody  end  of  the 
feather  that  is  craved  for,  but  the  light,  webby  portion. 
In  all  cases  we  find  the  crop  filled  with  this  portion  of 
the  feather,  and  we  have  a  number  of  times  checked 
the  trouble  by  giving  the  fowls  a  supply  of  finely  cut 
rowen  grass  or  hay.  Where  fowls  have  a  run  on  grass, 
winter  and  summer,  they  do  not  indulge  in  this  trouble- 
some habit,  even  if  they  have  no  animal  food  at  all ; 
but  confine  them  to  a  yard  or  house,  no  matter  how 
large,  if  there  be  no  grass  or  hay  within  reach,  the 
trouble  soon  commences. 

Another  writer  gives  a  rather  novel  method  by  which 
an  incorrigible  Patridge  Cochin  Cockerel  was  inadvert- 


80 

ently  cured.  After  giving  him  up  as  incurable,  he  put 
him  in  a  run  with  twenty  or  more  cockerels  weeded  out 
for  killing.  Instead  of  submitting  to  his  cannibal 
tastes,  however,  these  strangers  made  it  rathea:  uncom- 
fortable for  him,  and  to  use  an  expressive  Westernism, 
caused  him  to  "  gyrate  round  the  yard  Kke  a  Chinese 
joss  with  the  jim-jams,"  uttering  doleful  cries.  He  was 
completely  cured,  and  never  afterwards  offered  the  first 
indignity  to  his  hens.  Perhaps,  after  all,  a  good 
thrashing  like  the  above  might  prove  a  sovereign  spe- 
cific for  this  offensive  habit. 

Frost  Bites. 

Large  combed  breeds  especially  suffer  from  having 
combs  and  wattles  affected  by  frost.  By  oiling  them 
with  a  sponge  every  morning,  this  may  be  prevented 
The  best  treatment  of  frost  bite  is  a  vigorous  applica- 
tion of  snow  or  very  cold  water,  afterwards  applying 
glycerine.  Painting  the  frozen  part  with  compound 
tincture  of  myrrh  three  times  a  day,  is  said  to  be  ben- 
eficial.    Turpentine  is  also  recommended. 

Fledging. 

When  the  weather  is  bad  and  the  chicks  appear  to  be 
suffering  much,  the  food  may  be  seasoned  with  No.  3 
tonic,  and  the  addition  of  tincture  of  iron  to  the  water. 
Warm  milk  should  also  be  given  to  drink. 

Fractures. 

A  broken  shank  may  be  "set"  without  difficulty,  and 
seciu'ed  with  a  splint  of  porous  brown  paper,  saturated 
with  white  of  eggs,  which  hardens  as  it  dries.     A  bro- 


81 

ken  wing  is  best  cared  for  bj  putting  the  feathers  in 
position  and  binding  tightly  together  about  an  inch 
from  the  end.  But  unless  the  accident  occurred  to  a 
very  valuable  fowl,  useful  to  breed  from,  the  time  and 
care  necessary  to  successfully  treat  fractures  are  gen- 
erally unprofitably  wasted. 

G-apes. 

This  disease  is  caused  by  the  windpipe  of  chickens 
or  young  fowls  being  infested  with  worms,  eventually 
causing  suffocation.  How  the  disease  is  propagated  is 
a  debatable  question.  The  worm  is  usually  found 
doubled,  of  a  pale  reddish  color,  and  rather  less  than 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  long.  The  number  in  one 
chicken  usually  varies  from  two  to  a  dozen.  Dirt  and 
damp  have  undoubtedly  a  predisposing  effect,  as  it  is 
well  known  that  gapes  rarely  ever  trouble  a  clean  and 
dry  yard. 

By  many  it  is  supposed  that  the  worm  is  generated 
in  some  manner  by  Hce  or  a  similar  parasite  which  in- 
fests the  head  of  youDg  chicks,  and  as  a  preventive  the 
following  ointment,  applied  very  lightly  on  the  back 
of  the  head,  on  the  throat,  and  under  the  wings, 
in  a  melted  or  fluid  state,  at  the  time  of  taking  chick- 
ens from  the  nest,  is  said  to  remedy  the  evil :  Mer- 
curial ointment,  1  oz ;  pure  lard,  1  oz ;  flour  of 
sulphur,  J  oz;  crude  petroleum,  1  oz.  It  is  stated  on 
good  authority  that  chicks  anointed  in  this  manner 
have  never  had  the  gapes,  while  others  of  the  same 
broods  not  anointed,  have  been  affected.  Another 
method  of  keeping  the  chicks  free  from  the  parasites 
that  are  supposed  to  produce  gapes  is  to  apply  once  a 
week,  under  the  wings  and  on  the  breast  of  the  hen,  a 


82 

small  quantity  of  carbolic  soap  in  solution.  The  effect 
of  the  ointment  beginning  to  destroy  the  parasites, 
would  seem  to  give  color  to  the  theory  that  gapes  are 
the  result  of  the  presence  of  lice  or  similar  vermin, 
and  would  also  tally  very  well  with  the  fact  that  the 
disease  is  comparatively  unknown  in  clean  and  com- 
fortable quarters.  A  free  use  of  carbolic  disinfecting 
powder  is  an  excellent  preventive.  The  disease  may 
be  checked  after  it  has  entered  the  yard,  by  using  fluid 
carbonate,  camphor,  or  lime  in  the  drinking  water,  and 
the  affected  bird  made  to  inhale  the  vapor  of  carbolic 
acid  by  placing  a  few  drops  on  a  red  hot  shovel,  and 
holding  the  bird  in  the  fumes  until  it  is  nearly  suffo- 
cated. This  kills  the  worms,  and  is  an  effectual  cure. 
The  worms  may  be  taken  from  the  throat,  also,  in  tho 
following  manner  :  Take  a  medium  soft  quill  feather, 
pluck  the  web  from  both  sides  to  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  tip,  and  wet  with  a  solution  of  20  grains 
carbolic  acid  and  one  ounce  of  glycerine.  Kun  the 
feather  down  the  windpipe,  give  it  three  or  four  turns 
and  quickly  withdraw.  Kepeat  two  or  three  times  with 
a  new  feather  each  time.  The  acid  paralyzes  the 
worms,  and  the  glycerine  sticks  them  to  the  feather, 
and  they  are  thereby  drawn  out  of  the  trachea.  The 
feathers  and  all  matter  drawn  from  the  throat  of  the 
fowl  should  be  burnt,  in  order  to  prevent  the  exposure 
of  the  rest  of  the  flock  to  contagion. 

Another  remedy  is  to  administer  a  kernel  of  black 
pepper  to  the  chick  affected,  which  is  said  to  destroy 
the  worm. 

Leg  "Weakness. 
Young  fowls  of  the  larger  breeds  frequently  outgrow 


83 

their  strength,  or  from  a  lack  of  bony  matter  shown  hy 
constant  squatting  about  instead  of  walking  or  standing. 
To  prevent  the  occurrence  of  this  affection,  give  all 
young  fowls  plenty  of  bone  dust  or  broken  bones  and 
oyster  shells.  When  first  discovered  it  may  be  checked 
and  strength  restored  by  giv^ing  "Parrish's  Chemical 
Food,"  a  tablespoonful  to  a  pint  of  water.  A  little 
tincture  of  muriate  of  iron  in  the  drinking  water  is  also 
beneficial. 

Gout. 
This  is  a  disease  of  the  legs  which  can  be  distin- 
guished from  leg  weakness  by  the  feverish  condition  of 
the  legs.  Eemove  the  bird  to  a  warm  and  dry  place, 
give  a  dose  of  jalap  or  calomel  to  open  the  bowela, 
after  which  a  half  grain  pill  of  extract  of  colchicum 
should  be  administered  twice  a  day.  The  legs  and 
joints  may  be  well  rubbed  with  sweet  oil  daily  with 
benefit. 

G-iddiness. 
Usually  resulting  from  too  high  feeding,  and  likely  to 
develop  in  apoplexy.     Hold  the  head  under  a  streara 
of  water,  and  reduce  the  system  by  a  dose  of  castor 
oil,  and  feed  on  sparer  diet. 

Lice. 
To  guard  against  the  encroachment  of  lice  and  other 
like  vermin,  the  walls  of  the  sheds  should  be  regularly 
washed  every  year  with  strong  lime-wash,  containing  a 
pound  of  sulphate  of  iron  to  every  three  gallons,  ap- 
plied hot  from  th<9  slaking.  A  thorough  syringing 
either  with  parafine  or  a  solution  of  carbolic  acid  will 
also  be  efficacious  iu  getting  rid  of  the   annoyance. 


84: 

Carbolic  acid  is  certain  death  to  all  insects,  and  is  an 
inyaluable  aid  to  the  resources  of  the  poultry  keeper. 

Experience  proves  that  the  free  use  of  dry,  sifted  coal 
ashes  is  an  excellent  exterminator  of  these  pests.  The 
ashes  may  be  sprinkled  over  the  roosts,  and  a  commo- 
dious box  filled  with  this  material  should  be  provided 
for  the  fowls  to  dast  m — a  provision  of  which  they 
seem  to  take  pleasure  in  avaiUng  themselves.  In 
making  up  nests  for  hatching,  it  is  advisable  to  put 
ashes  in  the  bottom  and  cover  with  clean  straw.  After 
the  chicks  make  their  appearance,  the  nests  should  be 
thoroughly  cleansed  and  the  straw  and  litter  destroyed. 
In  localities  where  coal  ashes  can  not  be  easilj  procured, 
good  dry  sand  may  be  substituted,  in  which  carbolic 
powder  or  sulphur,  or  both,  has  been  sprinkled. 

It  sometimes  occurs  that,  in  spite  of  all  precautions, 
the  vermin  accumulate  to  such  an  extent  that  the  house 
becomes  literally  alive  with  them.  In  such  cases  a 
thorough  cleansing  is  necessary.  All  the  hay  and 
straw  in  the  nests  should  be  burnt,  the  hens  driven  out 
and  the  house  closed  tightly  and  fumigated  with  sul- 
phur. This  may  be  done  by  putting  a  pound  or  so  of 
brimstone  in  an  iron  pot  and  dropping  on  it  a  piece  of 
red-hot  iron.  Keep  the  house  closed  two  or  three 
Lours,  after  which  it  should  be  well  ventilated  and 
swept  out  thoroughly.  The  walls,  inside  and  out — in 
fact  every  place  that  can  be  reached — should  be 
washed  with  hot  water,  in  which  has  been  dissolved 
potash,  one  pound  to  every  quart  of  water.  Then  fol- 
low with  kerosene  oil.  Fresh  hay  is  needed  for  the 
nests,  and  assurance  is  made  doubly  sure  by  white- 
washing. This  radical  treatment  is  not  accomplished 
without  some  trouble,  but  the  result  amply  repays  the 
labor 


85 


To  keep  Lice  out  of  the  Hen-honse. 

These  pests  are  about  the  worst  the  poultry  keeper 
has  to  contend  with,  and  I  therefore  give  a  simple  cure 
if  not  an  entire  preventive. 

Take  a  hot  pan  or  iron  pot,  place  it  in  the  hen  house 
and  pour  into  it  at  least  one  pound  of  sulphur.  Be 
careful  not  to  inhale  the  fumes.  Close  all  windows  and 
doors  and  let  the  lice  enjoy  the  atmosphere  for  about 
two  hours.  Then  air  the  house  and  give  it  a  good  coat 
of  whitewash,  nor  forgetting  the  roosts.  Change  the 
nests  and  you  will  find  yourseK  free  from  these  pests. 

Indigestion. 
Loss  of  appetite,  caused  by  feeding  too  highly 
seasoned  food.  The  diet  should  be  restricted  to  soft, 
well  cooked  food,  twice  a  day,  with  fresh  water  in  mod- 
erate quantities,  containing  the  **Douglas  Mixture." 
Where  a  run  cannot  be  had,  a  Httle  fresh  grass  cut  fine 
is  beneficial.  If  the  disease  does  not  yield  to  this 
treatment,  give  daily  five  grains  of  rhubarb,  changed 
every  fourth  day  for  one  of  calomel. 

Liver  Disease. 
Most  generally  observed  in  cold  and  damp  locaKties. 
Indigestion  is  frequently  the  forerunner  of  this  disease, 
and  the  remedies  recommended  in  such  cases  should 
be  appHed.  If,  however,  the  bird  should  take  on  a 
sickly,  yellowish  look  about  the  head  and  comb,  there 
is  no  doubt  about  a  serious  enlargement  of  the  liver. 
Alterative  doses  of  mercury,  followed  by  cod  Hver  oil 
and  Parrish's  Food,  may  effect  cures  where  not  de(^p 
8 


86 

seated,  but  success  cannot  be  expected  where  the 
morbid  structures  are  of  any  considerable  size.  Poultry 
keepers  should  never  breed  from  fowl  affected  i»  this 
way. 

Moulting. 

Moulting  is  the  discarding  of  the  summer  coat  of 
feathers  and  putting  one  on  suitable  for  cold  weather. 
Perhaps  many  poultry  keepers  have  never  co^isidered 
the  great  drain  upon  the  system  of  the  fowl  during 
this  change  of  covering.  Not  only  do  the  regular  flesh- 
forming,  life-giving  processes  of  nature  have  to  be 
fulfilled,  but  an  entire  new  coat  of  feathers  has  also  to 
be  manufactured.  These  feathers  consist  not  of  flesh 
and  blood  alone,  but  of  component  parts  of  mineral 
and  animal  substances.  These  substances  are  assimi- 
lated from  the  food,  and  unless  birds  can  obtain  such 
food  as  contain  the  necessary  qualities,  the  work  drags, 
is  prolonged,  and  the  poor  fowl  droops  and  grows 
thinner  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  fulfill  nature's  require- 
ments without  the  proper  means  to  work  with.  The 
moulting  season  is  the  most  critical  period  of  the  year 
for  old  fowls ;  and  yet,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a 
hundred,  there  is  less  care  taken  then  than  in  the 
Spring,  when  everything  is  in  their  favor.  Not  only  is 
an  abundance  of  warming,  nutritious  food  needed,  but 
a  tonic  of  some  kind  should  also  be  given.  Stale  bread, 
sopped  in  old  ale,  given  two  or  three  times  a  week,  is 
always  beneficial ;  but  perhaps  one  of  the  best  things 
is  to  use  the  Douglas  Mixture,  in  the  proportion  of  a 
teaspoonful  to  a  pint  of  water,  in  the  drinking  fountain, 
and  keep  it  by  them  during  the  whole  time  of  moulting. 
A  little  hemp  seed  given  every  day  is  also  beneficial, 


87 

and  with  these  aids,  and  a  little  pepper  on  their  food, 
with  perhaps  a  Kttle  extra  meat,  or  even  a  little  ale 
during  the  few  weeks  the  process  lasts,  there  will  rarely 
be  any  loss.  With  hardy  kinds  and  good  shelter  such 
precautions  are  hardly  necessary  but  they  cost  little 
and  have  their  effect  also  on  the  early  re-commencement 
of  laying.  A  tonic  that  is  also  recommended  is  gin  and 
molasses,  in  proportion  of  three  parts  gin  to  one  of 
molasses.  A  tablespoonful  is  a  dose  for  an  adult  fowl, 
giving  it  before  feeding  in  the  morning ;  where  the  fowls 
do  not  appear  to  have  an  unusually  hard  time,  twice  or 
three  times  a  week  is  sufficient.  But  where  the  fowls 
are  in  close  confinement,  they  must  have  iron  in  some 
shape.  A  little  treatment  of  this  kind  not  only  benefits 
the  health  of  the  fowl,  but  shortens  the  period  of  moult- 
ing fully  one-third.  In  addition  to  that,  the  growth  of 
feathers  is  stronger  and  heavier,  and  the  fowls  are  thug 
better  able  to  stand  the  cold  of  Winter.  The  appear- 
ance of  the  fowl  is  also  vastly  better,  the  feathers  are 
lustrous,  and  appear  as  if  oiled ;  the  bird  takes  on  fat 
at  once,  and  meets  the  cold  weather  with  a  vigorous 
health  and  strength  which  otherwise  he  might  not  have. 

Pip. 

The  symptoms  are  a  short,  quick,  spasmodic  chirrup, 
repeated  at  short  intervals.  On  examination  a  dark 
colored,  dry,  horny  scale  will  be  found  on  the  end  of 
the  tongue.  This  is  not  the  disease,  as  many  suppose, 
but  the  results  of  the  disease.  In  some  cases,  if  not 
checked,  the  beak  will  turn  yellow  at  the  base,  and  the 
plumage  become  rufiled ;  appetite  fails,  and  the  bird 
mopes  around  and  finally  dies.  A  little  cayenne  or 
black  pepper  mixed  with  meal  and  administered  three 


88 

times  a  day  will  generally  effect  a  cure.  Another  reme- 
dy is  to  apply  clilorinated  soda  to  the  horny  scale  on 
the  tongue.  This  will  soften  the  crust,  which  will  come 
off  without  difficulty.  Feed  soft  food  and  give  a  dose 
of  castor  oil  or  other  aperient. 


KheTimatism. 

Weakness  of  the  legs,  stiffness  of  the  joints,  contrac- 
tion of  the  toes  are  symptoms  of  this  disease,  which 
may  be  mistaken  for  cramps.  The  treatment  is  similar. 
The  bird  must  be  put  in  a  warm  and  dry  place,  and  fed 
with  warm  and  rather  stimulating  food.  The  legs 
should  be  bathed  in  rather  hot  water  containing  some 
mustard,  and  afterwards  dried.  Half  a  grain  of  opium 
twice  a  day  should  be  given  internally.  A  little  cooked 
meal  every  day  is  beneficial,  and  minute  doses  of  oil  of 
mustard  have  been  of  marked  efficacy  in  some  cases. 


Roup. 

Pr(.)bably  the  amateur,  and  sometimes  even  the  ex- 
perienced breeder,  turns  more  anxiously  to  the  treatises 
on  this  disease  than  to  any  other,  for  the  reason  that  it 
is  at  once  the  most  annoying  and  destructive  of  the 
whole  catalogue,  though  less  to  be  dreaded  now  than 
formerly.  Nearly  all  writers  agree  that  roup  results 
from  exposure  to  damp,  draughts  and  confinement  in 
tainted  coops.  It  is  highly  contagious,  the  germs  of 
the  disease  being  communicated  by  drinking  or  other 
contact.  The  symptoms  of  roup  are  at  first  identical 
with  those  of  a  severe  cold ;  the  discharge  from  the 
nostril,  however,  soon  loses  its  transparent  character, 
becoming  more  or  less  opaque,  with  a  peculiar  and 


89 

offensive  odor ;  frotli  appears  in  the  inner  corner  of  the 
eye  ;  the  Hds  swell,  and  sometimes  the  eje-ball  is  en- 
tirely concealed.  In  very  severe  cases  the  cavity  of  the 
nose  becomes  filled  with  the  diseased  secretion,  which 
cannot  escape,  owing  to  the  small  size  and  closure  of 
the  nostril,  and  then  the  face  swells  considerably. 

Treatment. — In  this  disease,  nearly  equal  numbers 
recover,  under  various  modes  of  treatment,  so  far  as  re- 
lates to  internal  remedies.  But  in  all  cases  the  bird  is 
at  once  to  be  isolated,  and  the  water  vessels  immediate- 
ly disinfected.  McDougall's  Fluid  Extract  is  excellent 
for  this  purpose.  Warm,  dry  lodging  and  stimulating 
nutritious  food  are  the  first  essentials  to  recovery.  The 
eyes  and  head  should  be  frequently  bathed  with  warm 
water  and  remedial  agents  of  some  kind  applied  to  the 
diseased  membrane.  This  is  somewhat  difficult,  on  ac- 
count of  the  nostrils  being  closed  up,  but  may  be  over- 
come by  inserting  the  point  of  a  small  syringe  into  the 
slit  in  the  roof  of  the  mouth  and  turning  it  rather  to 
the  outside  for  each  nostril.  Labarraque's  solution  of 
Chlorinated  Soda  is  the  injection  most  in  use  by  a 
number  of  the  best  fanciers.  Tegetmeier  says  he  has 
used  a  few  drops  of  a  dilute  solution  (10  grains  to  the 
ounce  of  water)  of  sulphate  of  copper,  with  very  favor- 
able results.  The  internal  treatment  is  a  dose  of  castor 
oil,  to  be  followed  every  morning  and  evening  by  a  pill 
of  balsam  copaiba,  1  oz. ;  liquorice,  in  powder,  .§  oz. ; 
piperine,  1  drahm,  with  enough  magnesia  added  to 
make  the  mass  into  sixty  doses  or  pills.  A  few  drops 
of  tincture  of  iron  or  McDougall's  Fluid  Extract  should 
be  added  to  the  drinking  water. 

We  also  present  the  following  remedies,  all  of  which 
are  said  to  have  effected  cures  in  particular  instances. 
Perhaps  it  would  be  well,  in  case  a  number  of  fowl  ara 

8h 


90 

simultaneously  attacked,  to  try  them  separately  on  dif- 
ferent birds.  That  which  acted  most  promptly  might 
then  be  applied  to  all. 

No.  1. — Powderia  8'aiphate  of  iron,  ^  drachm ;  capsi* 
cum  powder,  1  drachm  ;  extract  of  liquorice,  J  oz. ;  make 
into  30  pillg.  Give  one  at  a  time  three  times  a  day  for 
three  days ;  then  take  J  oz.  sulphate  of  iron  and  1  oz. 
cayenne  pepper  in  fine  powder.  Mix  carefully  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  these  powders  with  butter,  and  divide  into 
ten  parts.  Give  one  part  twice  a  day.  Wash  the  head, 
eyes,  and  inside  of  the  mouth  and  nostrils  with  vinegar 
it  is  very  cleansing  and  beneficial. 

No.  2. — As  soon  as  the  bird  shows  the  usual  symp- 
toms, take  it  to  a  small  room  or  outhouse,  close  the 
door  and  windows,  take  a  shovelful  of  red-hot  coals 
from  the  stove  and  on  them  sprinkle  flour  of  sulphur 
(pounded  brimFtone).  Let  the  bird  inhale  this  gas  for 
about  ten  minutes — it  will  cause  it  to  sneeze,  and  the 
congealed  matter  will  be  blown  or  thrown  up  through 
the  nostrils  and  so  relieve  the  poor  bird  and  its  symp- 
toms. 

No.  3. — Bathe  the  head  and  throat  in  warm  salted 
water,  after  which,  with  the  thumb  and  finger  open  the 
eyes  and  wash  them  well  with  a  rag  saturated  Avith 
salted  warm  water  and  then  give  a  pill  made  of  equal 
parts  of  cayenne  pepper  and  prepared  chalk.  Follow 
this  treatment  every  morning,  and,  if  there  be  any  rat- 
tling in  the  throat,  give  a  teaspoonful  of  cod-liver  oil 
every  night. 

No.  4. — In  the  first  stages  of  the  disease  give  a  dose 
of  castor  oil,  which  will  generally  effect  a  cure ;  but  if 
the  mouth  and  tonsils  have  become  ulcerated,  several 
doses  may  be  necessary,  given  twelve  hours  apart. 


91 

Use  a  small  mop,  dipped  in  vinegar,  to  cleanse  the 
mouth,  head,  throat,  and  nostrils,  after  which  dip  a 
feather  or  mop  in  soft  soap  and  touch  every  ulcer. 

No.  5. — Sugar  of  lead  and  pulverized  opium,  20  grains 
each ;  mix  with  one  pint  of  soft  water.  With  a  small 
syringe  inject  warm  water  into  the  nostril  of  the  sick 
bird  and  then  inject  the  lotion.  By  using  a  small  bent 
tube  on  the  syringe  an  injection  can  be  forced  into  the 
nostril  through  the  upper  part  of  the  mouth.  Feed 
with  soft  food  only,  giving  plenty  of  chopped  vegetablejj, 
and  mix  ale  with  the  food! 

No.  6. — Bathe  the  head  with  tepid  water  and  castile 
soap,  removing  all  unhealthy  secretions  about  the  eyes, 
head  or  throat,  and  if  there  be  any  visible  ulceration 
wash  well  with  a  strong  solution  of  alum  water,  and 
give  a  bolus  of  lard  and  sulpur  mixed  as  large  as  an 
English  walnut,  at  the  same  time  anointing  the  head 
well  with  the  mixture  of  lard  and  sulphur. 

No.  7. — Wash  the  head  with  cresylic  soap  suds  until 
the  nostrils  are  opened  and  the  eyes  relieved.  Then 
strip  a  feather  to  within  half  an  inch  of  the  end,  and 
dipping  it  into  diluted  nitric  acid,  insert  it  into  the 
nostril  of  the  fowl.  Two  or  three  applications  will  gen- 
erally be  sufficient. 

No.  8. — Five  drops  tincture  of  iron  in  a  teaspoonful 
of  water  thrice  a  day.  Feed  the  fowl  with  scalded  food 
well  seasoned  with  cayenne  pepper. 

Undoubtedly  the  seeds  of  this  disease  are  laid  in  the 
sudden  changes  from  warm  to  cold  nights,  when  the 
Summer  changes  to  Fall,  and  the  chickens  are  allowed 
to  occupy  their  unprotected  coops  and  wander  about 
hungry  and  cold  in  the  raw,  early  morning.  This  would 
especially  tend  to  the  development  of  roup  if  there 


92 

should  be  a  continued  spell  of  damp  weather,  for  roup 
after  all,  is  simply  a  chronic  catarrh  or  cold.  Upon 
the  fir&t  indication  of  a  change  of  weather  in  the  Fall, 
the  young  chicks  should  be  provided  with  warm,  dry 
quarters,  and  not  alloTved  their  liberty  in  the  morning 
until  fed.  A  plentiful  supply  of  good,  nutritious  food 
and  tincture  of  iron  added  to  their  water,  with  a  little 
sulphur  in  their  soft  food,  will  be  found  of  great  benefit. 
Prompt  attention  to  these  mattei  s  will  eventually  result 
in  preventing  the  appearance  of  the  roup — the  dreaded 
scourge  of  the  poultry  yard. 

RTimp-ail. 

This  difficulty,  occasioned  by  the  badness  and  infec- 
tion of  the  hen  house,  has  for  symptoms,  constipation, 
slowness  in  walk,  troubled  sleep,  sad  way,  low  head, 
drooping  tail  and  bristling  feathers.  The  chicken  does 
not  scratch,  and  finally  a  tumor  forms  around  the  rump. 
It  is  necessary  to  cut  this  tumor  with  a  sharp  instru- 
ment, and  press  it  with  the  finger  to  expel  the  pus, 
then  wash  the  wound  with  vinegar  or  stale  wine,  and 
feed  with  agreeable  diet,  like  barley,  bran,  or  boiled 
rye  or  lettuce.  One  of  the  first  precautions  to  take  is 
to  purify  the  hen  house. 

Scaly  Legs. 

Cinder  the  head  of  Elephantiasis  will  be  found  some 
remedies  for  this  disease,  but  having  come  across  the 
following,  it  was  decided  to  insert  them : 

Dissolve  a  httle  carbonate  of  soda  (sal  soda)  in  water 
and  rub  the  feet  and  legs  every  day  with  this  solution 
until  the  scurf  is  removed.     After  this  is  done  and  the 


93 

feet  and  legs  become  dry,  anoint  them  well  with  lard 
and  sprinkle  on  some  sulphur  or  red  precipitate,  or 
they  be  made  into  an  ointment  before  they  are  applied. 
Another  remedy  is  to  use  an  application  of  cocoanut 
oil  or  turmeric — the  proportions  are  about  one-fourth 
of  an  ounce  of  turmeric  powder  to  an  ounce  of  the  oil ; 
this  forms  a  yellow  ointment.  Apply  it  to  the  parts 
affected,  and  a  few  applications  will  be  sufficient  to 
effect  a  cure. 

Soft  Eggs. 

If  of  frequent  occurrence,  a  sign  of  over-feeding. 
Beduce  the  food  and  feed  sparingly  on  mashed  potatoes. 
In  some  cases,  soft  eggs  occur  from  the  entire  absence 
of  any  material  to  form  the  shell.  The  fowl  should  be 
supplied  with  old  mortar,  burnt  oyster  shells  pounded, 
or  similar  ingredients.    Lime  water  is  highly  beneficial. 

Wry  Tail. 

Carrying  the  tail  to  one  side,  strongly  hereditary, 
and  evidence  of  a  weakly  constitution.  The  surest  way 
to  cause  its  disappearance  and  prevent  its  recurrence  is 
to  get  rid  of  the  fowl  altogether. 

Turkeys. 

The  best  preventive  for  sickness  in  these  birds  as 
well  as  to  help  them  through  the  red  is  to  mix  finely 
cut  onions  or  chives  in  their  food,  which  ought  to  con- 
sist of  Indian  meal  mixed  with  either  milk  or  water,  but 
small  potatoes  boiled  and  mashed  with  plenty  of  pepper 
may  be  used  with  raw  onions  chopped  fine  instead. 


94 

Kerosene  as  a  Curative. 
"We  have  seen,  recently,  testimonials  from  so  many 
quarters,  as  well  South  as  North,  as  to  the  efficacy  of 
kerosene  oil  in  chicken  cholera,  as  to  inspire  a  hope 
that  an  unfailing  remedy  has  at  last  been  found  for  this 
hitherto  most  desolating  disease.  A  Woodville,  Miss., 
correspondent  of  the  New  Orleans  Home  Journal  says : 
"  I  tried  all  the  remedies  mentioned  in  your  paper  for 
cholera,  but  none  seemed  to  do  any  permanent  good 
until  I  tried  coal  (kerosene)  oil;  this  has  effectually 
arrested  the  disease,  and  I  am  satisfied  is  a  good  thing." 
In  addition  to  this,  the  editor  of  the  Journal  says: 
"  We  had  a  pullet  which  was  actually  on  its  last  leg^j. 
not  being  able  or  willing  to  feed  any  more.  Our  better- 
half  took  some  grits  and  mixed  a  sufficiency  of  kerosene 
with  it  to  make  into  pills  and  crammed  some  of  it  down 
the  throat  of  the  fowl.  The  effect  was  almost  instanta- 
neous, as,  at  the  next  feeding  time  it  appeared  with  the 
other  fowls  and  participated  in  the  meal,  and  since 
then  has  been  constantly  improving.  We  now  feed 
corn  mixed  in  kerosene  oil  three  times  a  week,  and 
since  adopting  this  mode  have  had  no  new  case  ol 
cholera. 

A  correspondent  writing  to  the  Country  Gentleman 
from  Habersham  County,  Ga.,  says :  "  I  have  found 
kerosene  oil  a  cure  for  chicken  cholera.  Last  year  I 
lost  my  entire  flock.  This  year,  by  soaking  my  corn  in 
kerosene,  but  one  has  died,  although  several  have  been 
sick." 

A  recent  number  of  the  Southern  Homestead  gives  the 
extract  which  we  annex,  from  the  pen  of  the  editor,  by 
which  it  will  be  seen  that  the  curative  power  of  kero- 
sene has  been  as  prompt  in  giving  rehef  to  an  equine 


95 

mifferer  as  to  the  pets  of  the  poultry  yard :  "  The 
peculiarly  penetrating  nature  of  kerosene  makes  it  one 
of  the  best  external  applications  for  bruises,  sore  throat, 
diphtheria,  etc.,  in  man  that  can  be  employed,  while  for 
diseases  in  horses,  such  as  big  shoulder  or  other  lame- 
ness, two  applications,  well  rubbed  on,  will  effect  a 
cure.  Only  a  few  weeks  ago  we  proved  its  efficacy  in 
bots  or  grubs.  "We  had  a  fine  colt  violently  attacked 
with  this  dangerous  disease,  and  after  trying  several 
remedies  without  rehef,  as  a  last  resort  tried  kerosene, 
rubbing  the  body  thoroughly,  producing  an  instantane- 
ous and  permanent  cure." 

Chlorate  of  Potash. 

For  internal  administration  to  fowls  for  canker  or 
roup,  or  for  common  colds  or  cough,  chlorate  of  potash 
is  said  to  be  very  beneficial,  and  is  at  the  same  time  a 
perfectly  safe  remedy  to  use.  Water  only  dissolves  a 
certain  proportion  and  no  more  of  the  salt,  and  it 
should  always  be  made  as  strong  as  it  can  be,  which  is 
making  what  is  technically  called  a  "  saturated  solu- 
tion." For  convenience  it  is  better  to  keep  it  prepared 
ready  for  use,  as  follows  :  Put  in  a  half  pint  bottle  an 
ounce  of  chlorate  of  potash  and  an  ounce  of  crushed 
sugar,  then  fill  the  bottle  with  soft  water  and  shake 
occasionaUy  until  no  more  will  dissolve.  The  sugar 
seems  to  serve  the  double  purpose  of  loosening  the 
phlegm  in  the  throat  of  the  fowl  and  to  disguise  the 
saline  taste  of  the  chlorate,  making  it  more  easy  of 
administration.  Chlorate  of  potash  will  not  only 
remove  canker  and  ulceration  in  the  mouth  and  j;hroat, 
but  cools  and  allays  fever,  and  by  its  action  in 
the  stomach,  destroys  all  traces  of  canker  in  the  system 
of  the  fowl,  thus  rendering  the  cure  a  permanent  one. 


96 

After  using  off  the  water  more  may  be  added,  as  long 
as  any  of  the  chlorate  remains,  adding  sugar  each  time, 
as  the  sugar,  unlike  the  chlorate,  all  dissolves  the  first 
time.  Give  adult  fowls  a  teaspoonful  of  the  solution 
two  or  three  times  a  day,  in  severe  cases  giving  it 
oftener  if  required.  An  ounce  of  the  solution  in  a  pint 
of  water  is  a  good  remedy  for  common  colds  and  for 
young  chicks,  to  be  given  in  plaee  of  drinking  water, 
continuing  for  several  days,  or  until  a  cure  is  effected. 

Charcoal. — It  is  claimed  that  a  free  use  of  crushed 
charcoal  will  prevent  the  disease  known  as  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  liver.  It  keeps  the  organs  in  a  healthy 
state  ;  their  fondness  for  it  would  indicate  some  benefit 
derived  from  its  use,  the  same  as  in  the  case  of  gravel. 

Corn  or  corn  meal  is  the  cheapest  and  best  food  for 
fattening  fowls.  Oat  meal,  bran,  and  middlings  are  the 
best  for  the  young,  growing  stock. 

Capsicum  mixed  with  the  food  and  assafoetida  in  the 
drinking  water  is  recommended- for  cholera  in  fowls. 


PROSPECTUS. 


God  has  given  to  all  men  the  means  of  sustaining 
their  existence  and  that  of  their  families.  To  some  he 
has  given  the  mind,  which  is  always  grasping  after  new 
ideas,  and  to  others,  ease,  luxury,  and  the  faculty  neces- 
sary for  amassing  colossal  fortunes.  But  the  greatest 
of  these,  in  truth,  are  those  who  by  application  and  in- 
dustry have  devised  means  for  alleviating  the  ills  of  life, 
or  of  augmenting  its  productions. 

It  is  by  the  smallest  and  most  insignificant  means  that 
many  persons  reach  both  fortune  and  position.  The 
raising  of  poultry  is  one  of  these  simple  things,  and  it 
has  never  received  from  the  public  the  attention  it  de- 
serves. In  this  connection  we  quote  a  few  lines  from 
the  JSr.  Y.  Herald,  September  30, 1876  : 

"  Poultry,  which  is  a  source  of  great  revenue  in  Eu- 
rope generally,  and  in  France  particularly,  has  not  re- 
ceived in  America  all  the  attention  it  deserves,  and  it  is 
really  surprising  that  a  country  of  such  vast  resources 
and  as  rich  in  products  of  all  sorts  as  ours,  should  be 
compelled  to  import  eggs  from  Europe.  5,467,264 
dozen  eggs,  valued  at  $732,234,  have  been  imported 
from  Europe  in  the  short  space  of  eleven  months,  and 
thrown  upon  the  markets,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
when  they  arrived  here  they  were  at  least  forty  days  old. 
^fy  believe  that  Mr.   Corbett's  invention  will  be  of 


98 

great  service  to  our  business  men  and  breeders,  as  an 
improvement  of  the  greatest  importance,  for  the  con- 
sumption of  poultry  and  eggs  in  this  country  is  believed 
to  be  about  $60,000,000  annually." 

All  people  must  know  the  proverb  :  "  Tlie  man  makes 
the  trade  resjpectahle,  and  not  the  trade  the  TnanP  So 
long  as  the  business  is  respectable,  no  one  has  the  right 
to  despise  it.  We  therefore  present  to  the  public  the 
tools,  as  it  were,  necessary  for  the  7nanufact%ijre  of  poul- 
try. We  are  adverse  to  praising  the  merits  of  these 
tools,  every  merchant  liking  his  own  goods  best ;  and  in 
the  same  manner  every  inventor  claims  the  superiority 
of  his  particular  patent.  Many  of  them  try  to  persuade 
the  public  by  means  of  the  testimony  of  their  friends, 
or  by  respectable  appearing  agents,  whose  large  commis- 
sions are  paid  out  of  the  pockets  of  the  public.  We 
could  also  furnish  ample  testimony  of  this  character,  but 
it  is  a  means  to  which  we  are  unwilling  to  resort. 

In  order  to  satisfy  themselves  upon  the  merit  and 
value  of  our  invention,  we  leave  it  to  a  discriminating 
public — that  unerring  judge — to  see  and  read  for  them- 
selves the  opinions  of  those  most  capable  of  judging. 

Upon  the  exhibition  of  the  invention,  the  high  com- 
pliments paid  to  it  by  the  press,  and  by  all  who  ex- 
amined into  its  merits,  gave  us  great  encouragement  in 
prosecuting  our  labors.  The  various  valuable  awards, 
the  high  encomiums  bestowed  upon  it  by  the  press — 
that  incorruptible  and  almost  unerring  guide  of  the  peo- 
ple— should  also  speak  in  an  unmistakable  manner. 
Therefore  we  leave  it  to  them,  and  say  no  more  upon 

■Shat  subject. 

Pkof.  a.  COEBETT, 

Patentee, 


OFFICIAL  TESTIMONIES 

AND 

LIST    OF  AWARDS 

ETC.,     ETC.,     ETC. 


INTERNATIONAL  EXHIBITION. 

PHILADELPHIA,  1876. 


The  United  States  Centeis^nial  Commissiott 

Has  examined  the  Eeport  of  the  Judges,  and  accepted  the  following 
reasons,  and  decreed  an  Award  in  confoiniiity  therewith. 

Philadelphia,  Feb.  24,  1877. 

REPORT  ON   AWARDS. 

INCUBATOR  AND  ARTIFICIAL  MOTHER. 

Prof.  ADOLPH  CORBETT. 

The  undersigned,  having  examined  the  product  herein 
described,  resjjecffuUy  recommends  the  same  to  the  United 
States  Centennial  Commission,  for  award,  for  the  following 
reasons,  viz.  : 

The  apparatus  is  simple  and,  provided  proper  attention 

is  paid   to  keeping   up  an  even   temperature,  efficient.     It 

comprises  two  distinct  circular  boxes,  which  are  surrounded 

by  fresh  horse  manure.     The  degree  of  heat  can  be  regulated 

by  a  ventilator  at  the  top.     The  second  box,  where  the^chick- 

ens  are  reared,  contains  a  circular  cap,  the  under  side  covered 

with  long  wool,  adjusted  by  means  of  a  vertical  rod  with  a 

screw  head,  to  which  it  is  attached.     There  is  nothing  to  get 

out  of  order. 

JOHN  COLEMAN. 

APPROVAL  OF  GROUP  JUDGES. 

JAMES  BEUCE.  PEDEO  PAES  LEME. 

E.  OLDENDOEFF.  IKEDO  KENZO. 

JAS.    S.    GEINNELL. 

FEANCIS  A.  WALKEE, 

[i  true   Copy  of  the  Record.]  <^^'e/  o/  the  Bureau  of  Awards. 

Given  by  authority  of  the  IT.  S.  Centennial  Commission. 

J.  L.  CAMPBELL,  A.  T.  GOSHORN, 

/Secretary .  Director-  General, 

J.  R.  HAWLEY, 

President. 


MEDAL  AKD  DIPLOMA  BY  THE  INTEENA- 
TI0:N^AL  EXHIBITION,  PHILADELPHIA,  1876. 

MEDAL  AND  DIPLOMA  BY  THE  AMEKICAN 
INSTITUTE,  1875. 

GKAND  MEDAL  OF  HONOR  AT  THE  INTER- 
NATIONAL EXHIBITION  AT  SANTIAGO, 
CHILL  1875. 

GOLD  MEDAL  AND  DIPLOMA  BY  THE  QUEENS 
COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY,  1874. 

GOLD  MEDAL  AND  DIPLOMA  BY  THE  FAR- 
MERS' AND  MECHANICS'  CLUB.  HICKS- 
YILLE,  N.  Y.,  1876. 

NEW  YORK  STATE  FAIR,  Rochester,  1874. 
First  Premium  and  Certificate  of  Merit. 

ALBANY  AGRICULTURAL  AND  ARTS  ASSO- 
CIATION, 1874. 
First  Premium  and  Certificate  of  Merit  for  Incubator 
and  Ai'tificial  Mother. 

SARATOGA   COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SO- 
CIETY, 1874. 
First  Premium  and  Diploma  of  Merit  for  Incubator  and 
Artificial  Mother. 


102 

SUFFOLK  COUNTY  AGRICULTUEAL  SO- 
CIETY, 1874. 
First  Premium  and  Diploma  of  Merit  for  Incubator  and 
Artificial  Mother. 

DIPLOMA  OF  COIs^TIJSrUED  EXCELLENCE  BY 
THE  AMEKICAJST  INSTITUTE,  1876. 

DIPLOMA  BY  THE  NEW  JEESEY  STATE  AG- 
EICULTUKAL  SOCIETY,  1877. 

DIPLOMA  BY  CAPITAL   STATE  FAIE  ASSO- 
CIATION, AUSTIN,  TEXAS. 

DIPLOMA  BY  NOETHEASTEEN  AGEICULTU- 
EAL  SOCIETY  OF  INDIANA,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  EGG  HAEBOE  CITY  AGEICUL- 
TUEAL  SOCIETY,  NEW  JEESEY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  MUSCATINE,  IOWA,  AGEICUL- 
TUEAL  SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  FEEMONT,  OHIO,  AGEICULTU- 
EAL  SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  CAEEOLLTON,  OHIO,  AGEICUL- 
TUEAL  SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  BEOCTON,  MASS.,  AGEICULTU- 
EAL  SOCIETY,  1878. 


103 

DIPLOMA  BY  COLUMBIA  COUl^TY  AGEICTTI^ 
TURAL  SOCIETY  OF  PEKJST'A,  1878. 

DIPLOMA    BY  DELAWAEE    COUIS^TY,   OHIO, 
AGRICULTUEAL  SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  UXION  FAIR  ASSOCIATIOlSr  OF 
CENTRALIA,  ILL'S,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  JO-DAYIESS  COU]N^TY  AGRICUL- 
TURAL SOCIETY  OF  GALEIN^A,  ILL'S,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  FRANKLm  COUNTY  AGRICUL- 
TURAL SOCIETY  OF  PEXN'A,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  COSHOCTOlSr,  OHIO,  AGRICUL- 
TURAL SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  JEFFERSOj^  COUNTY  AGRICUL- 
TURAL SOCIETY  OF  OHIO,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  DEXISON,  IOWA,  AGRICULTU- 
RAL SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  LUCAS  COUNTY  AGRICULTU- 
RAL SOCIETY  OF  IOWA,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  MACOMB   COUNTY  AGRICUL- 
TURAL SOCIETY  OF  MICHIGxiN,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  FRANKLIN  COUNTY  AGRICUL- 
TURAL SOCIETY  OF  FARMINGTON, 
MAINE,  1878. 


104 

DIPLOMA  BY  BRADFORD  COUNTY  AGRICUL- 
TURAL SOCIETY  OF  TO  WAND  A,  PA.,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  EATON  COUNTY  AGRICULTU- 
RAL SOCIETY  OF  CHARLOTTE,  MICH.,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  STARK  COUNTY  AGRICULTU- 
RAL SOCIETY  OF  CANTON,  OHIO,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  LENAWEE,  MICH.,  AGRICULTU- 
RAL SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  LIVINGSTON   COUNTY  AGRI- 
CULTURAL SOCIETY  OF  GENESEO, 

N.  Y.,  1878. 

DIPLOMA    BY  THE    YAN   BUREN    COUNTY 

AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY,   PAW  PAW, 

MICH.,  1878. 

DIPLOMA   BY  THE    LYON   COUNTY,  IOWA, 
AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY,  1878. 

DIPLOMA  BY  THE  HILLSDALE  COUNTY, 
MICH.,  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY,  1878. 


New  Yorh  State  Fair,  Annual  Official  Report,  1874. 

The  point  of  great  attraction  in  this  building  was  the  comer 
devoted  to  the  exhibition  of  Corbett's  apparatus  for  hatching 
and  raising  poultry.  It  was  in  full  operation,  with  a  yard  in 
front  swarming  with  little  chicks.  The  apparatus  invented  by 
Mr.  CoRBETT  has  the  advantage  of  not  being  dangerous  because 
of  the  use  of  fire.  The  decomposition  of  the  manure  furnishes 
the  requisite  heat.     .     .     . 


Queens  County  Agricultural  Society,  33c?  Annual  Report,  1874. 

"  The  Society  awarded  a  special  Premium  of  a  Gold  Medal  to 
A.  CoEBETT  of  Hicksville,  for  his  Chicken  Incubator  and  Ai*tifi- 
cial  Mother ;  a  very  valuable  invention,  which  has  attracted 
much  attention." 


American  Agriculturist  {New  Yorlc,  July  1,  1876). 

Of  late  years  there  have  been  many  efforts  made  to  perfect  a 
method  of  artficial  incubation,  and  to  get  rid  of  the  hen,  which 
unfortunately  is  too  fussy  and  too  slow  for  our  advanced  ideas. 
Now  that  poultry  bears  so  high  a  price,  and  young  chickens  for 
broilers  are  worth  more  than  full-grown  fowls,  it  is  very  desira- 
ble to  have  some  way  of  improving  upon  the  slow  and  unsatis- 
factory methods  provided  by  nature.  The  most  promising  of 
all  the  methods,  old  or  new,  with  which  we  have  become  ac- 
quainted, is  the  one  here  illustrated  and  described.  It  is  the 
invention  of  Mr.  A.  Corbett,  in  which  the  old-fashioned  heating 
material,  horse-dung,  is  used.  The  apparatus  consists  of  a 
rounded  box  (Fig.  1)  made  of  laths,  having  a  door  in  the  front 
and  a  movable  cover  at  the  top,  in  which  is  a  ventilating  flue 
having  a  graduated  opening  closed  by  a  slide.     This  is  placed 


106 

in  the  centre  of  a  pile  of  liorse-mannre,  wliich  raises  the  neces- 
sary heat  in  a  short  time.  When  this  has  occurred,  the  eggs, 
arranged  in  wii'e  sieves  or  frames,  are  placed  in  a  box,  and  the 
cover  is  put  on.  The  heat  is  carefully  regulated  by  the  ventilat- 
ing slide,  when  shown  to  be  necessary  by  a  thermometer  laid 


1. — PROF.  CORBETT'S  incubator. 


upon  the  eggs.  When  the  chickens  appear  the  mother  is  made 
ready  for  them.  This  is  a  box  exactly  the  same  as  the  incu- 
bator, but  provided  with  a  horizontal  disk,  covered  on  the  under 
side  with  a  piece  of  sheep-skin  from  a  long-wool  sheep,  and  ar- 
ranged to  be  moved  up  and  down  by  a  screw.  The  manure  is 
heaped  partly  around  the  box,  to  provide  the  needed  warmth, 


107 


the  door  is  let  down  for  a  pathway  in  and  out  for  the  chicks, 
(see  Fig.  2),  and  in  this  they  are  placed  as  soon  as  ready  to  be 
removed  from  the  incubator.     After  having  been  fed  a  few 


Fig,  2. — prof,  corbett's  artificial  mother. 

times  the  chicks  will  learn  to  come  out  from  beneath  the  wool 
to  feed,  when  the  platform  is  tapped.  Mr.  Corbett  has  been 
veiy  successful  in  using  his  apparatus,  and  when  visiting  his 
establishment,  we  saw  the  proof  of  his  success. 


New  York  Herald  [September  30,  1876). 

The  publishing  house  of  Orange  Judd  has  just  issued  a  very 
interesting  and  useful  book,  entitled,  "  The  Poultiy  Yard  and 


108 

Market."  It  is  a  practical  treatise  on  gallinociTlture  and  a  de- 
scription of  the  new  process  of  hatching  eggs  and  raising  chick- 
ens by  means  of  horse-manure,  the  invention  of  Prof.  Coebett, 
of  Hicksville,  N.  Y.,  for  which  several  medals  were  awarded 
him  by  all  the  great  exhibitions.  It  is  replete  with  minute  ex- 
planations which  cannot  fail  to  be  of  great  service  to  farmers 
and  breeders,  Poultry,  which  is  a  source  of  great  revenue  in 
Europe  generally,  and  in  France  particularly,  has  not  received 
in  America  all  the  attention  it  deserves,  and  it  is  really  surpris- 
ing that  a  country  of  such  vast  resources  and  as  rich  in  pro- 
ducts of  all  sorts  as  ours  should  be  compelled  to  import  eggs 
from  Europe.  We  see  on  page  32  of  this  book  that  5,467,264 
dozen  eggs,  valued  at  $732,234,  have  been  imported  from 
Europe  in  the  space  of  eleven  months  and  thrown  upon  the 
markets,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  by  the  time  they  arrived 
here  they  were  at  least  forty  days  old.  "We  believe  that  Mr. 
Corbett's  invention  will  be  of  great  service  to  our  business  men 
and  breeders  as  an  improvement  of  the  greatest  importance,  for 
the  consumption  of  eggs  in  this  country  is  calculated  to  be 
about  $60,000,000  annually.  In  France  it  is  about  $80,000,000, 
$2.22  for  every  man,  woman  and  child. 


JSfew  York  Tribune  [September  15,  1875). 

Poultry  breeders  are  well  aware  that  the  use  of  the  hen  is  en- 
tirely unnecessary  so  far  as  hatching  is  concerned,  her  value  be- 
yond egg-laying  being  confined  to  sheltering  and  warming  the 
chickens  after  they  burst  their  shells.  A  hen  lays  on  an  average 
some  100  eggs  annually,  but  she  only  sits  once,  hatching  sel- 
dom more  than  seven  during  her  period  of  incubation.  If  she 
could  hatch  the  whole  number  she  lays,  or  even  four-fifths  only, 
there  would  clearly  be  a  greater  chance  of  profit  for  the 
breeder ;  and  many  devices  have  in  consequence  been  set  on 
foot  to  substitute  artificial  means  for  the  motherly  duties  of  the 
hen.  Professor  Corbett  claims  to  have  accomplished  this  re- 
sult by  his  discovery,  and  as  he  is  can-ying  out  his  invention  on 
an  immense  scale  at  Hicksville,  the  readers  of  The  Tribune 
may  learn  something  from  a  report  of  his  operations.   ...  All 


109 

known  descriptions  of  domestic  poultry  are  hatched  and  raised 
on  this  estate  by  the  above  means"  (horse-manure).  "These 
descriptions  include  common  barn-yard  fowls,  Dorkings,  Game, 
White  Leghorn,  Black  Spanish,  Brahmas,  Shanghais,  and,  as 
some  amateurs  choose  to  call  them,  Cochin-Chinas  and  Brahma- 
pootras.  They  are  all  alike  amenable  to  the  same  system,  as 
well  as  geese,  turkeys,  ducks,  partridges,  etc.,  and  all  of  them 
are  equally  productive  and  remunerative.  His  process  is  alike 
valuable  to  the  housewife  of  moderate  means,  passing  her  leis- 
ure moments  in  the  poultry  yard,  as  to  the  breeder  on  a  large 
scale  who  seeks  to  supply  great  city  markets  with  eggs  and 
chickens. 


Moore's  Rural  New- Yorker  {October  2,  1875). 

The  poultry  breeder  experiences  considerable  difficulty  and 
no  small  amount  of  loss  from  the  fact  that  so  few  hens  are  good 
sitters.  It  has  long  been  a  well-ascertained  truth  that  the  fe- 
males of  certain  breeds  are  all  but  valueless  for  this  purpose. 
.  .  .  There  is  no  necessity,  however,  for  the  employment  of  hens 
in  the  hatching  of  eggs,  the  ancient  Egyptians,  three  thousand 
years  ago,  having  accomplished  the  required  result  by  artificial 
means  alone.  Other  nations  in  later  years  have  i^roduced  simi- 
lar effects  by  like  methods,  so  that  it  is  safe  to  say  that,  beyond 
the  duty  of  laying  eggs,  hens  are  not  needed  in  the  poultry- 
yard.  A  visit  to  the  Gallinoculture  Institute  of  Professor 
Adolphe  Corbett,  at  Hicksville,  L.  I.,  will  satisfy  the  most 
skeptical  on  this  point.  Fowls  of  all  breeds  and  ages  are  there 
to  be  found  in  immense  numbers ;  all  of  them  in  the  best  con- 
dition of  health,  and  all  hatched  and  raised  artificially.  The 
system  employed  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  Corbett  himself,  the 
sole  caloric  agent  being  horse-manure.  .  .  .  The  poultry  raised 
by  this  method  are  in  all  respects  as  healthy  and  vigorous  as 
any  to  be  seen  elsewhere,  while,  at  the  same  time,  none  of  them 
are  lamed,  as  too  frequently  is  the  case  by  natural  mothers.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Corbett's  establishment,  in  fact,  proves  that  poultry  of 
all  kinds  can  be  equally  well  hatched,  and  far  better  raised  by 
his  system  than  by  what  is  known  as  the  "  natural "  method. 


110 

Being  a  breeder  on  a  large  scale,  he  has  fair  opportunities  for 
judging  the  commercial  value  of  his  invention  ;  and  he  asserts 
that  the  cost  of  production  by  his  system  saves  from  twenty  to 
twenty-five  per  cent  over  the  usual  method.  This  is  a  practical 
exemplification  of  the  old  saying,  that  "  the  proof  of  the  pud- 
ding is  in  the  eating, "  and  high  authorities  endorse  Mr.  Cor- 
bett's  conclusions.  The  N.  Y.  State  Agricultural  Society,  at  its 
annual  meeting  last  year,  awarded  him  their  Silver  Medal  for 
his  invention ;  and  the  Judges  of  the  Queens  County  Agricul- 
tural Society  likewise  gave  him  their  Gold  Medal  and  diploma. 


American  Artisan  {December,  1875). 

American  Institute  Fair. — "We  have  only  room  left  to  notice 
Professor  A.  Coebett's  Apparatus  for  hatching  and  raising 
every  kind  of  Poultry.  .  .  .  Each  apparatus  is  combined  for 
hatching  and  also  for  raising.  The  mother  is  of  a  size  in  pro- 
portion with  that  of  the  hatching  apparatus.  .  .  .  Spring 
chickens  by  his  process  are  ready  for  market  all  the  year 
round,  every  month  in  the  year,  every  week  in  the  month,  and 
his  process  is  alike  valuable  to  the  housewife  of  moderate 
means,  passing  her  leisure  moments  in  the  poultry-yard,  as  to 
the  breeder  on  a  larger  scale,  who  seeks  to  supply  great  city 
markets  with  eggs  and  chickens. 


Philadelphia  Weekly  Press  (October  30,  1875). 

It  will  be  well  for  our  readers  to  recognize  the  vastly  superior 
advantages  of  artificial  hatching  over  what  is  termed  the  nat- 
ural. A  hen  will  lay  from  120  to  250  eggs  annually,  but  she 
seldom  sits  more  than  once  during  that  period,  hatching  on  the 
average  about  seven.  The  great  majority  of  her  eggs  are  thus 
only  useful  for  culinary  purposes ;  but  were  these  placed  in 
Coebett's  Incubator,  all  of  them  would  become  chickens  within 
three  weeks,  except  those  which  turn  out  to  be  "  clear,"  or  un- 
vitalized.  Three  months  later,  at  a  cost  in  these  parts  not  ex- 
ceeding twenty-five  cents  per  head,  the  little  ones  will  have 
grown  into  "  sjpring  chickens,"  selling  in  this  city  and  neighbor- 


Ill 

hood  at  from  seventy-five  cents  apiece  to  a  dollar  and  a  half. 
Is  not  this  a  remunerative  outlay  of  capital  ?  Mr.  ADOLPnE 
CoKBETT,  the  inventor  of  the  process  we  are  about  to  describe, 
is  a  young-looking  man  of  forty  years,  and  a  native  of  Belgium. 
He  has  devoted  most  of  his  life-time  to  the  study  of  animals, 
and  besides  being  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  scientific  jour- 
nals of  France  and  the  land  of  his  birth,  he  is  the  author  of  sev- 
eral works  on  ornithology,  etc.  .  .  .  During  the  last  severe 
winter,  with  the  snow  lying  several  feet  deep  on  the  ground,  he 
was  almost  oveiTun  with  young  chickens,  nearly  all  of  them 
growing  up  into  strong  and  healthy  birds,  notwithstanding  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather. 


Scientific  American  [Ocloher  30,  1875). 

Any  farmer  who  possesses  a  manure-heap,  according  to  the 
inventor  of  a  new  Incubator,  is  provided  with  the  essential 
means  of  artificially  hatching  chickens.  The  idea  is  to  utilize 
the  natural  heat  of  the  manure  to  produce  and  maintain  the 
requisite  temx^erature  for  the  incubating  process.  The  apjoa- 
ratus,  which  is  quite  simple,  consists  of  a  cask  or  cylinder  of 
wood,  near  the  bottom  of  which  is  a  door  for  convenient  access 
to  the  interior.  .  .  .  When  the  chickens  appear,  the  interior 
of  the  cask  is  cleaned,  and  an  artificial  mother  is  inserted  and 
ab justed  to  a  proper  height  from  the  bottom.  The  manure  is 
still  left  around  the  latter,  the  heat  being  necessary  for  the 
young  chickens  until  they  have  grown  sufficiently  to  wan-ant 
their  removal. 


American  Artisayi  {March,  1875). 

Mr.  CoRBETT  is  a  Belgian  gentleman,  who  has  made  the  sub- 
ject of  artificial  poultry-raising  a  matter  of  long  study,  and  who 
has  written  a  history  of  artificial  incubation  which  is,  we  think, 
the  best  essay  we  have  ever  read  upon  the  subject.  Moreover, 
he  has  invented,  and,  through  the  American  Artisan  Patent 
Agency,  has  recently  obtained  a  Patent  for  an  apparatus  for 
hatching  and  rearing  poultry,  which  is  a  remarkable  advance 


112 

upon  all  previous  attempts  in  this  line.  The  artificial  heat 
obtained  from  fermenting  manure  has  long  been  used  in  the 
forcing  of  seeds  to  early  and  strong  germination.  Precisely  the 
same  principle  is  adopted  by  Mr.  Coebett,  the  heat  of  manure- 
beds  being  employed  to  hatch  his  chickens.  "We  recommend 
everybody  interested  in  this  subject  to  write  to  Professor 
CoKBETT  for  his  book  (the  price  of  which  is  only  fifty  cents), 
which  will  be  found  an  extremely  interesting  pamphlet. 


PhiladelpJiia  Sunday  Sun  [August  6,  1876). 

Among  the  incubators  actually  on  exhibition  at  the  Centennial, 
in  the  Agricultural  Hall,  we  have  noticed  that  of  Prof.  A. 
CoKBETT,  the  late  manager  of  the  Gallinoculture  Institute,  situ- 
ated at  Hicksville,  N.  Y.  This  incubator  works  without  fire  or 
lamps.  All  the  necessary  heat  is  obtained  by  the  heat  of  horse- 
manure,  which  surrounds  the  apparatus.  The  temperature  is 
regulated  by  means  of  a  thermometer  and  of  the  chimneys. 
By  this  system  all  i^ersons  having  at  their  disposition  some 
horse-manure,  can  raise  poultry  during  all  the  year;  for  this 
apparatus  does  not  only  answer  for  the  purpose  of  incubator, 
but  by  a  simple  and  ingenious  aiTangement  is  transformed  into 
an  artificial  mother.  It  is  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  years  since  this  system  was  discovered  by  the  celebrated 
De  Reaumur,  French  physician,  and  if  to-day  the  farmers  and 
American  breeders  can  use  this  process,  it  will  be  on  account  of 
Prof.  A.  Corbett,  who  has  neglected  no  trouble,  time,  or  money 
to  make  this  discovery  practicable.  This  enterprising  gentle- 
man has  exhibited  his  apparatuses  at  the  New  York  State  Fair, 
the  American  Institute,  and  at  a  great  many  county  fairs.  He 
has  also  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  process  not  only  praised 
by  the  most  leading  and  competent  newspapers,  but  also  ad- 
mired by  more  than  one  million  of  persons. 

Prof.  A.  Corbett  has  received  for  his  discovery  all  the  reward 
that  an  inventor  may  ever  hope  to  obtain.  And  the  visitors  can 
see  Prof.  Corbett's  space,  over  50  feet  square,  covered  by  di- 
plomas, bronze  and  gold  medals,  given  by  State  and  county 
fairs  and  also  by  the  American  Institute.     As  all  our  readers 


113 

may  believe,  this  important  discovery  has  caused  a  little  revolu- 
tion in  the  poultry -breeders'  population.  But  this  revolution  is 
calming  since  Prof.  A.  Corbett  has  written  a  work  in  which  he 
explains  all  his  process.  We  have  read  this  book  and  have  found 
it  the  most  valuable  and  the  most  interesting  work  for  poultry- 
men  and  farmers  which  has  ever  been  published.  Its  low  price 
of  fifty  cents  proves  that  its  author  does  not  want  to  make  it  a 
speculation.  The  name  of  the  work  is,  "  The  Poultry  Yard  and 
Market."  It  contains  also  general  hints,  as  says  the  author,  ac- 
quired, by  twenty  years'  experience  in  poultry  breeding.  This 
book  is  sold  by  the  Orange  Judd  Company,  No.  245  Broadway, 
N.  Y. 


New  York  Herald  {October  7,  1876). 

About  two  years  ago  we  informed  the  readers  of  the  Weekly/ 
Herald  that  Professor  A.  Corbett,  of  Hicksville,  L.  I.,  was  hatch- 
ing and  raising  poultry  by  means  of  horse-manure.  This  dis- 
covery has  been  perfected  and  extensively  known  through  the 
energy  and  perseverance  of  the  inventor.  He  has  also  submitted 
his  system  to  competent  judges,  who  have  awarded  him  various 
recompenses.  Professor  Corbett's  system  consists  of  a  simple 
apparatus  made  of  wood,  which  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  a 
heap  of  horse-manure,  about  eight  feet  long  and  four  feet  thick, 
the  capacity  of  this  apparatus  vaiying  from  100  to  1,000  eggs,  ac- 
cording to  the  wants  of  the  operator.  After  great  experience  and 
the  sacrifice  of  nearly  2,000  eggs  lost  in  trials  at  diiferent  times, 
the  inventor  feels  that  he  has  won  complete  success.  The  eggs 
are  cooled  ofi*  by  exposure  to  the  fresh  air  the  same  as  when  the 
hen  covers  them.  Every  one  is  aware  that  the  hen,  while  sit- 
ting, cools  off  her  eggs,  either  in  leaving  the  nest  every  day  for 
twenty  or  thirty  minutes  or  else  changes  their  position  under 
her ;  for  nothing  is  more  curious  than  this  instinct  of  nature. 
It  is  the  heat  combined  with  air  which  hatches  the  chicken, 
and  which  is  necessary  to  give  life  to  the  chick.  Professor 
Corbett  having  a  thorough  knowledge  of  poultry  raising,  and 
having  invested  .^50,000  in  it,  as  he  states,  was  not  willing  to 
stop  to  consider  it  as  a  luxury,  but  has  taken  nature  as  she  is, 
and  what  so  natural  as  to  use  the  manure  made  on  a  farm  for 


114 

this  purpose?  After  using  the  apparatus  for  twenty-one  days  as 
a  hatcher  in  the  manure -heap  it  is  turned  into  a  mother.  Thus, 
without  steam,  lamps,  or  hens,  the  Professor  is  enabled  to  raise 
poultry.  In  a  new  book  which  Professor  Corbett  has  published, 
entitled  "  The  Poultry  Yard  and  Market,"  he  frankly  declares 
that  it  is  not  to  him  that  any  honor  is  due  for  this  discovery, 
but  entirely  to  that  celebrated  De  Eeaumur,  who  made  many 
experiments,  and  who,  on  St.  Martin's  day,  1747,  read  before 
the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris,  a  report  in  which  he  gave  an 
account  of  his  experience  and  success.  As  it  often  happens, 
this  report  was  lost  sight  of  with  others,  and  it  no  longer  be- 
came a  question  interesting  to  the  public  press. 

Professor  A.  Corbett  constructed  a  ' '  poultry  factory  "  upon  a 
farm  of  100  acres,  his  buildings  covering  8,000  feet  square.  Ac- 
cording to  the  author's  idea,  when  we  eat  an  egg  we  consume 
an  unripe  fruit,  not  as  regards  our  health,  but  in  a  commercial 
sense.  Why  is  it,  he  asks,  that  all  the  eggs  are  not  made  into 
chickens  ?  Because  nature  has  only  allowed  the  hen  to  hatch 
part  of  her  eggs.  A  hen  lays  on  an  average  120  eggs  yearly. 
Of  this  number  she  hatches  out  about  10  only  ;  the  others  are 
sold  at,  say  2  cents  each,  making  $2. 20.  Let  us  suppose  that 
of  the  110  eggs  75  only  are  tui^ned  into  chickens,  and  are  sold 
at  50  cents  each,  we  would  realize  the  sum  of  $37.50.  Now  de- 
duct the  value  of  the  eggs,  $2.20,  and  feed  for  chicks  at  20 
cents  each,  $15 ;  total  cost  $17.20.  It  would  leave  as  profit 
$20.30  more  than  by  the  present  system  to  each  hen.  Now,  in 
France,  they  feed  40,000,000  hens,  and  realize  $80,000,000. 
According  to  the  above  statement  they  would  realize  $801,000,- 
000,  or  $721,000,000  more.  These  figures  certainly  deserve  notice 
and  are  worth  studying.  Now,  the  Professor  would  like  the 
army  to  engage  in  raising  poultiy,  and,  taking  France  as  an  ex- 
ample, he  says:  "Let  us  suppose  that  each  regiment  begins 
with  100  hens  and  ten  cocks.  They  would  produce  about  12,000 
eggs.  Allow  that  only  7,500  are  turned  into  chickens  and  sold 
at  30  cents  each.  This  would  give  a  net  profit  of  $2,250.  Now 
suppose  150  regiments,  each  having  a  poultry-yard  as  above 
spoken  of,  the  amount  would  be  $347,500  for  the  first  year ; 
but  as  each  regiment  might  easily  have  a  poultry-yard  contain- 
ing 10,000  hens,  the  amount  produced  would  be  $11,250,000. 


115 

This  sum  would  be  largely  increased  in  an  army,  for  it  would 
cost  nothing  to  feed  these  hens,  as  there  would  be  waste  enough 
in  barracks  to  feed  them,  which  would  add  about  $20,000,000 
yearly  to  the  revenue,  by  adding  to  the  army  pack  train  in  time 
of  war  ten  ambulant  j)oultry  houses,  containing  10,000  hens. 


Chicago  Daily  Tribune  {October  23,  1875). 

A  new  system  of  breeding  poultry  by  artificial  means  has 
much  interested  the  farmers  of  this  State  during  the  past  twelve 
months.  The  invention  consists  in  hatching  and  raising  all 
kinds  of  domestic  fowl  by  the  aid  of  horse-manui-e  alone.  It  is 
the  work  of  a  Belgian  gentleman.  Prof.  Adolphe  Cobbett,  who 
has  made  this  country  his  permanent  home,  and  is  now  seeking 
to  indoctrinate  his  views  regarding  poultry-management  upon 
the  agricultural  community.  For  this  purpose  he  has  carried 
on  an  immense  chicken  factory  on  Long  Island  during  the  past 
year,  proving  conclusively  to  those  who  have  visited  it,  that 
fowls,  ducks,  geese,  turkeys,  etc.,  can  be  hatched  and  raised  by 
his  apparatus  in  far  greater  numbers,  and  at  much  less  expense, 
than  by  any  other  known  system.  .  .  .  Chickens  hatched  and 
raised  by  the  process  above  described  are  as  healthy  and  vigor- 
ous as  any  to  be  found  elsewhere,  and  they  are  incomparably 
more  numerous  than  those  produced  by  what  is  ignorantly 
termed  the  ' '  natural "  method.  Some  farmers,  however,  as  well 
as  many  professional  poultry-breeders,  possess  such  crowbar- 
Jike  backbones  that  they  cannot  bend  to  any  proposed  improve- 
ment on  the  old  style  of  doing  things.  Here,  however,  is  one 
fact  that  the  most  obstinate  among  them  can  comprehend  :  a 
hen  sits  twenty-one  days.  As  soon  as  she  makes  known  her  in- 
tention to  incubate,  take  a  dozen  or  thirteen  eggs  out  of  the 
Corbett  Incubator  which  have  already  undergone  the  process  of 
hatching  during,  say,  fifteen  days,  and  place  them  in  the  hen's 
nest.  Six  days  afterward  they  will  hatch,  and  the  hen  no 
longer  suffers  from  her  useless  sentiment^ity  for  sitting. 


Tlie  Evening  Post  [IsT.  F.,  September  27,  1875). 

This  machine,  or  rather  machinery,  as  there  are  two  processes 
connected  with  it,  does  the  whole  work  with  the  exception  of 


116 

producing  tlie  eggs.  The  eggs  are  put  into  one  compartment 
and  the  artificial  heat  required  for  incubation  is  obtained  from 
manure.  When  the  chickens  are  hatched  there  is  an  artificial 
mother  provided,  under  which  they  brood  as  comfortable  as 
with  the  hen. 


New  York  Weekly  News  {September  22,  1875). 

The  cost  of  the  Corbett  apparatus  is  so  moderate  as  to  place 
it  within  the  reach  of  almost  every  family  in  the  Union;  and 
we  shall  probably  find  these  "Incubators  "  and  "  Mothers,"  be- 
fore long,  necessary  appendages  in  most  of  our  farms  and  poul- 
try-yards, while  spring  chickens,  ducks,  and  turkeys  will  be 
selling  at  one-third  the  price  we  have  to  pay  for  them  now. 


Chicago  Weekly  Tribune  [October  24,  1875). 

Hatching  eggs  without  the  help  of  the  hen  is  the  easiest  mat- 
ter possible,  and  in  no  sense  whatever  contrary  to  nature.  Os- 
triches never  hatch  theirs,  nor  do  alligators,  crocodiles,  srlakes, 
the  world  of  insects,  or  the  teeming  denizens  of  the  waters. 
"Where  the  hen  really  becomes  what  is  thought  to  be  necessary, 
is  when  she  "  gathers  her  chickens  under  her  wings,"  so  as  to 
warm  and  succor  them.  Cokbett's  artificial  mothers  effect  this 
result  not  merely  as  well  as  the  hen,  but  in  some  respects  far 
better  ;  for  they  never  trample  upon,  lame,  nor  kill  the  chicks, 
nor  do  they  lose  them  in  the  fields,  or  give  them  the  rheuma- 
tism by  leading  them  over  wet  ground.  The  vast  crowds  of 
young  chickens  to  be  seen,  from  time  to  time,  at  the  Hicks- 
ville  Institute,  practically  prove  that  the  system  there  adopted 
is  a  correct  one  ;  for  the  youngsters  are  as  bright  in  plumage, 
ravenous,  and  active  as  any  to  be  found  elsewhere,  while  the 
mortality  amongst  them  is  incomparably  less. 

The  CoEBETT  system  is  equally  operative  in  the  dead  of  winter 
as  during  spring,  summer,  or  fall.  Last  Junuaryand  February, 
with  the  snow  many  feet  deep  on  Long  Island,  and  the  mer- 
cury trying  its  best  to  run  through  the  bottom  of  the  ther- 
mometer, the  Institute  at  HicksvUle  was  literally  overrun  with 


117 

thousands  of  newly-bom  chickens,  which  three  months  after- 
ward sold  for  SI.  50  the  pair.  Here  is  an  important  considera- 
tion to  fai-mers.  In  the  winter  months,  especially  out  West, 
little  farm  work  can  be  done  ;  but  if  our  agricultural  readers 
will  only  give  their  time  to  poultry  raising  on  the  above  system 
during  that  period,  their  cash-books  will  show  unexpected  re- 
sults at  the  annual  balancing.  The  system  itself  is  so  simple, 
as  weU  as  the  management  of  the  apparatus,  that  children  of  six 
or  seven  ye&rs  of  age  can  cany  it  out  as  well  as  adults,  per- 
haps better,  for  they  are  more  gentle  and  cautious  in  theu' 
actions  than  dashing,  "broad-shouldered,  leg-of-mutton-fisted 
farmers  of  foiiy  or  fifty  years  of  age.  Any  description,  lengthy 
or  otherwise,  of  this  new  system  of  hatching  and  raising  poul- 
try can  never  be  so  convincing  as  when  seen  in  actual  operation. 
The  little  chicks  pouring  out  of  the  incubators,  and  ninning  in 
and  out  of  the  artificial  mothers,  tell  a  more  eloquent  story  than 
any  pen  can  wiite. 


New  York  Sunday  News  [September  19,  1875). 

It  is  an  old  and  true  saying  that  ' '  the  man  who  causes  two 
blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  only  one  was  found  before,"  is  a 
benefactor  of  his  race  ;  and  judging  by  this  standard.  Professor 
ADOiiPHE  CoRBETT  of  the  Galliuoculture  Institute,  Hicksville, 
L.  I.,  deserves  the  gratitude  of  his  fellow-citizens.  In  the  es- 
tablishment founded  and  conducted  by  him  he  hatches  and 
raises  poultry  of  all  descriptions  by  the  simple  use  of  horse- 
manure  ;  not  merely  rendering  hens  entirely  unnecessary,  except 
for  laying  eggs,  but  multiplying  the  number  of  his  chickens, 
ducklings,  etc.,  at  least  ten-fold. 


Long  Island  Farmer  [October  8,  1874). 

One  of  the  most  interesting  exhibitions  on  the  gi'ounds  of  the 
Queens  Coimty  Agi'icultural  Society  is  that  made  by  Mons. 
CoRBETT,  a  French  gentleman  residing  at  Hicksville,  who  has  a 
chicken  incubator  in  full  operation,  the  necessaiy  heat  being 


118 

generated  by  ordinary  stable-manure.    A  large  breed  of  chick- 
ens were  hatched  in  plain  sight  yesterday. 


Hempstead  Inquirer  ( October  30,  1874). 

Coebett's  Hatching  Apparatus. — The  exhibition  at  the  late 
Fair  of  the  Queens  County  Agricultural  Society  of  Coebett's 
Hatching  Apparatus  attracted  universal  attention  and  comment. 
It  was  something,  the  value  of  which  to  farmers  and  poultry 
raisers  was  comparatively  unknown.  Its  utility  was  endorsed 
by  the  Agricultural  Society,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the 
action  of  its  directors  at  their  meeting  on  the  17th  inst.,  pub- 
lished elsewhere.  The  award  of  a  gold  medal  and  diploma  to 
Mr.  CoEBETT  is  but  a  just  acknowledgment  of  the  value  of  his 
apparatus,  and  will  be  approved  by  all  who,  like  ourselves,  have 
seen  the  incubator  in  operation. 


Baily  Saratogian  [September  4, 1874). 

Hatching  Chickens  Artificially. — The  idea  of  hatching  eggs 
by  artificial  heat  is  no  new  one,  nor  even  the  idea  of  using  the 
natural,  even  heat  of  a  manure-pile;  but  no  one  has  suc- 
ceeded before  this  wide-awake  Frenchman,  Mens.  Corbett,  in 
inventing  a  simple  apparatus  for  utilizing  that  kind  of  heat. 
After  much  experimenting  and  expense,  at  last,  in  July,  1873, 
Mons.  Corbett  completed  an  invention,  veiy  successful  in  hatch- 
ing healthy  chickens,  and  said  by  good  Judges  to  be  the  great 
discovery  of  recent  months.  Several  of  the  boxes  with  their 
sliding-doors,  ventilation-pii)es,  etc.,  are  on  exhibition,  and 
within  an  enclosure  in  Mechanics'  Hall  are  dozens  of  chicks  of 
difierent  breeds  and  ages  running  about  or  scuffling  for  crumbs 
and  grain.  A  crowd  stood  about  this  exhibition  hour  after 
hour,  and  indeed  it  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  of 
the  fair. 


Boston  Traveller  [March  24,  1877). 

All  who  raise  poultry,  whether  for  profit  or  amusement,  should 
read  a  book  published  by  Prof.  A.  Corbett,  inventor  of  the  In- 


lis 

cnbator  and  Artificial  Mother,  No.  7  Warren  Street,  New  York 
City.  .  .  .  The  professor  is  the  most  successful  poultiy 
farmer,  and  the  system  he  adopts  is  the  con-ect  one.  .  .  . 
Fowls,  ducks,  turkeys,  and  geese  can  be  hatched  and  raised  by 
means  of  his  Incubator  and  Artificial  Mother,  with  four-fold  the 
success  and  at  less  than  half  the  expense  of  any  other  known 
method.  The  work  may  be  carried  on  at  all  seasons  of  the  year 
aUke,  spring  or  summer,  autumn,  or  even  in  the  depth  of  winter  ; 
it  goes  forward  equally  well  all  the  year  round,  and  what  is 
more,  the  management  of  the  apparatus  is  so  simple  that  quite 
young  childi-en  can  attend  to  it  quite  as  well,  if  not  better,  than 
adults.  ...  By  means  of  Prof.  Corbett's  Incubator  every 
vitalized  egg  may  be  turned  into  a  chicken.  .  .  .  The  cost 
of  the  Corbett  aiDparatus  is  very  moderate ;  so  moderate,  in- 
deed, as  to  place  it  within  the  reach  of  every  owner  of  poultry 
throughout  the  country;  and  we  cordially  recommend  an  in- 
vestigation of  facts  and  figures  in  connection  therewith. 


Cincinnati  Weekly  Times  {April  19,  1877). 

Hatching  eggs  without  the  help  of  the  hen  is  the  easiest  mat- 
ter possible,  and  in  no  sense  whatever  contrary  to  nature,  as 
Prof.  Corbett  ably  demonstrates  in  ' '  The  Poultry  Yard  and 
Market."  Every  farmer  and  housewife  should  read  this  work, 
in  which  is  shown  thatit  needs  simply  a  manure-heap  to  accom- 
plish this  result. 


laustrated  Weekly  {March  31,  1877). 

At  the  late  exhibition  in  Agricultural  Hall,  Column  C,  was 
an  exhibit  which  at  all  times  attracted  great  numbers.  It  con* 
sisted  of  an  incubator  and  artificial  mother  for  hatching  eggg 
and  raising  poultry  of  every  kind.  This,  however,  was  not 
done  by  the  old  and  very  dangerous  methods,  long  ago  con- 
demned, of  gas  or  kerosene  flame,  the  heat  generated  by  horse- 
manure  being  the  only  agent  used.  The  idea  of  using  the  heat 
obtainable  from  manure  for  this  purpose  is  not  new.  In  1747, 
on  St.  Martin's  Day,  the  celebrated  scientist,  Reaumur,  mem- 


120 


ber  of  the  Eoyal  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris,  wrote  to  that 
Academy  a  paper  setting  forth  and  explaining  his  researches 
and  success  in  giving  life  to  the  embryonic  io^  by  the  heat  of 
horse-manure  alone.  But  this  valuable  discovery  has  reached 
perfection  through  the  labors  and  researches  of  Prof.  Adolph 
Corbett,  who,  in  June,  1875,  received  a  patent  for  his  appara- 
tus. .  .  .  Gold  medals  have  been  awarded  to  Prof.  Corbett 
by  the  judges  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition,  the  American  In- 
stitute and  State  and  county  fairs,  as  well  as  a  number  of  di- 
plomas. The  discovery  will  undoubtedly  be  of  great  benefit  to 
all  who  breed  poultry  for  pleasure  or  profit,  especially  those 
who  make  it  a  business  to  supply  the  markets  of  our  large  cities. 


arat 

lis  of  100 

Eggs  capacity,  $25.00. 

a 

200 

a 

43.75. 

(( 

SCO 

a 

62.50. 

66 

400 

a 

81.25. 

ic 

600 

66 

100.00. 

a 

1,000 

a 

187.00. 

PRICE    LIST 

OF   THE 

Incnbator  and  Mother  combined. 


4.00. 

6.00. 

8.00. 
10.00. 
20.00. 

The  above  prices  are  payable  in  advance,  without 
discount,  either  by  remittance,  check,  registered  letter, 
P.  O.  money  order,  or  express. 

Those  who  may  desire  the  apparatus  shipped  C.  O.  D. 
will  be  required  to  send  25  per  cent,  of  its  price,  and 
One  Dollar  for  return  charges  upon  giving  the  order. 

The  building  in  which  the  apparatus  should  be  placed, 
must  be  without  a  board  floor,  and  also  have  windows 
in  order  to  give  ventilation. 

The  weight  of  the  apparatus  is  fifty  pounds  for  one 
of  100  eggs  capacity  with  mother  combined,  and  increase 
in  ratio  for  those  of  larger  size. 

No  agents  are  needed  or  appointed,  and  no  territory 
or  countries  sold. 

All  communications  must  be  addressed  to 

Prof.  A.  COEBETT, 

P.  O.  Box,  5470,  N.  Y. 

Or  at  his  office,  Ko.  7  Wareen  Street. 


SPECIAL    OFFER,. 

• •♦• • 

RIGHT    TO    MANUFACTURE 

THE 

CORBETT  APPARATUS. 


The  patentee  is  desii'ous  of  placing  it  within  the  power  of  the 
public  to  obtain  the  benefit  of  his  valuable  discoveiy. 

He  is  in  receipt,  daily,  of  many  letters  from  persons  residing 
in  foreign  countries  and  the  different  States  and  Territories,  re- 
questing full  particulars  for  the  proper  construction  and  man- 
agement of  the  incubator ;  this  has  been  always  refused.  ^ 

In  many  cases  the  expenses  of  transportation  have  been  equal 
to,  and  frequently  exceed  the  purchase  price,  and  for  this  rea- 
son the  inventor  makes  the  following  offer  : 

That  to  all  persons  who  shall,  after  application,  execute  a 
contract  and  bond,  wherein  they  agree  to  do,  perform,  and  com- 
ply with  the  conditions  expressed,  he  will  grant  the  privilege 
and  right  to  manafacture  and  operate,  for  their  personal  use 
only,  an  Incubator  and  Mother  combined,  on  the  following 
terms  : 

100  Eggs  capacity  and  Mother $20 

200  "  "  25 

300  "  "  30 

400  "  "  35 

500  "  "  40 

1,000  '*  "  65 

The  above  amount  must  be  paid  at  the  time  of  making  appli- 
cation, by  Remittance,  Check,  Registered  Letter,  P.  O.  Money 
Order  or  Express,  and  addressed  to  Prof.  A.  Coebett,  No.  7 
"Wan-en  Street,  New  York  (the  Inventor  and  Patentee). 

On  receipt  of  the  money  a  contract  will  be  forwarded,  and 
when  returned  signed,  full,  complete  plans  and  instructions, 
illustrated,  together  with  a  guide  for  its  proper  management, 
will  be  immediately  sent. 

The  material  used  to  construct  an  apparatus  can  be  bought  in 
all  places  at  very  low  prices. 


COPY  OF  THE  CONTRACT  AND  BOND. 


Unort)  all  :£iiizn  bg  t[)csc  Ij^vcstntQ: 

SrHat  5!,  PEOF.  A.  COEBETT,  of  the  City,  County,  and 
State  of  New  York,  sole  Proprietor  and  Patentee  of  "  Corhetfs 
Egg-Hatching  Apparatus  and  Artificial  Mother"  Tinder  Letters 
Patent  Number  164,810,  granted  to  me  by  the  United  States  of 
America,  June  22,  1875. 

^nti  512^!)ercas, ,  of ,  in  the  County  of , 

and  State  of ,  is  desirous  of  securing  unto self  the 

personal  right  to  manufacture  and  operate of  said  Appa- 
ratus, of eggs  capacity,  and  Artificial  Mother. 

Now,  therefore,  I,  the  said  Peof.  A.  COEBETT,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  sum  of Dollars,  to  me  in  hand  paid,  the 

receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged,  do  gTant  unto  the  said 

the  personal  right  and  privilege  to  manufacture  and 

operate Apparatus,  of hundred  eggs  capacity,  and 

Artificial  Mother,  upon  the  following  express  understanding 
and  agreement : 

1.  That  at  no  time  will  the  said suffer  or  permit  any 

person  or  persons  to  read,  examine,  inspect,  or  copy  the  illus- 
trated plans  for  the  construction  or  guide  for  the  operation  of 
Apparatus,  and 

2.  That  he  will  not  suffer  or  permit  said  Apparatus  to  be 
examined  or  inspected  by  any  person  or  persons  desiring  infor- 
mation for  the  manufacture  of  another  or  others,  and 

3.  That  he  will  not  sell  or  otherwise  dispose  of  said  Appa- 
ratus, or  any  part  thereof,  to  any  person  or  persons  whomsoever, 
and 

4.  That  he  will  at  all  times  hereafter  retain  and  operate  the 
same  for  his  personal  use  and  benefit  only. 

And  I,  the  said ,  do  hereby  agree  to  faithfully  per- 
form and  comply  with  all  the  conditions  hereof  ;  and  in  case  of 
a  failure  on  my  part  to  comply  therewith,  or  either  of  them,  I 
agree  to  surrender  and  yield  up,  and  I  hereby  authorize  and 
empower  the  said  Prof.  A.  COEBETT,  his  agent  or  represent- 
atives, to  take  and  cany  away  any  and  all  of  said  apparatuses, 
or  parts  thereof,  manufactured  under  this  agreement  or  other- 
wise, and  all  rights  and  pri\'ileges  granted  hereunder  to  me, 

the  said ,  are  forfeited.    And  I  do  further  agree  to  pay  all 

loss  and  damage  which  the  said  Prof.  A.  COEBETT  may  sus- 
tain in  the  premises. 


^wi^.:? 


f:^:^ 


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